


The Book What That's Our First

by Fenix_uzumaki



Series: A Different Path [1]
Category: Country Bear Jamboree (Disney), The Country Bears (Movie)
Genre: Gen, Movie rewrite, My interpretation, The Country Bears (Disney), how the movie should have gone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 02:32:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 61,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15014735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenix_uzumaki/pseuds/Fenix_uzumaki
Summary: When Beary runs away from his home, he didn't leave alone. He took his best friend Jewell with him on his adventures to find and reunite their favorite band, The Country Bears. Along the way are mishaps, fun adventures, and an enemy who would do anything to see The Bears not reunite. Will Beary and Jewell make it? Or will they fail?





	1. Part One - Runaways

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! Welcome to my movie rewrite of "The Country Bears", a Disney movie that sadly flopped but has a small following nonetheless. This story is the first of a trilogy, and I will try to post all the chapters within the next day or so, so that things are updated on here as well. 
> 
> This is being uploaded as it was originally written [and is found as on FF], and may one day be edited again, but it is not this day.
> 
> Note to my FF followers - I've updated Jewell's name from "Jewel" to "Jewell", mainly because it flows better in my opinion. No other name changes will there be!

_Jewell St. Claire frowned as she thought back to how this had all come to pass. How she had been taken hostage with her mother and why her best friend, Beary, was bleeding at the front of the bus. Why her mother was up front taking care of him, though a deranged man had a gun pointed at her._ _And why Jewell herself had a muzzle tightly wrapped around her snout, that the others had been forbidden to take off, less another person be shot. It had been a simple enough week, starting with a sleepover. How had things gone so wrong?_

Jewell had decided to sleepover at Beary’s house the night he asked his parents if he was adopted. She had watched their interactions, how they had denied it, though Dex said yes. She had felt rather awkward throughout the entire meal, with her helping of uncooked fish, though she’d rather have what the humans were having, which was mashed potatoes, gravy, sirloin, and corn. She didn’t want this meager fish. Guess Mr. and Mrs. Barrington really did not understand bears as well as they thought they did.

She immediately felt guilty for the rude thought. Her mother had raised her better than that! She kept her mouth shut for the rest of the meal, unless she was spoken to, and waited until she and Beary were up in his room, sitting on his bed, looking through a red binder scrapbook of their favorite band, _The Country Bears_.

“No, no, I’m telling you. Tennessee O’Neal and Trixie St. Claire are a pairing!” Jewell argued.

Beary shook his head. “Just because Trixie’s your mother, Jewell... She never told you who your father was, has she? That’s why you live with your aunt and uncle. It might be some random bear! Not someone famous!”

“But they were dating! I’m telling you! Tennessee _has_ to be my father! Who else could it be?” Jewell huffed and studied the picture of the bear she perceived to be her father.

“But that’s not fair, Jewell! You’ll have **_two_** _Country Bears_ as your parents!”

“Yeah? Your point?” The ten-year-old female looked at her friend questioningly. “Is it about dinner? What you asked your parents?”

Beary nodded, closing the book with a sigh. “I just feel out of place. I look at you, and we’re alike. I look at them and we’re different. They… They’re… We’re not the same species, are we?”

Jewell frowned and shook her head. “No, you’re not.”

“Finally, you figure it out, doofus,” Dex spoke sarcastically as he walked into his bedroom, shooting a glare at Jewell. He didn’t like that another bear was here spending the night, which meant that he’d be sleeping in the guest room with the scratchy blankets while she took over _his_ bed. “I thought you were just a dumbass that couldn’t figure out the difference between humans and bears.”

“That’s not nice, Dexter Wolfe Barrington! I will tell your mother!” Jewell growled warningly.

Dex took a step back, knowing better than to mess with an angry Jewell, who actually _knew_ she was a bear and much stronger, whereas Beary was more wimpy and pathetic. “Just because I’m right! It’s not my fault he hasn’t figured it out sooner. I mean, I’ve dropped plenty of hints!”

Jewell narrowed her eyes at him.

Beary sighed. “Jewell, don’t. It’s not worth it. And he’s right; I should have realized the truth long ago.”

“Hmph.” Dex slid down to the floor in front of his bed and grabbed the controller for his Playstation, playing _Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4_. He growled at the game a few times, his mind elsewhere, causing him to lose a few fights. “Damn it. You know what? You thought you were different because our eyes were different colors and the fact that I have freckles? You’re such an idiot! Did you never not notice the fact that you have fangs and claws?!”

Beary lifted a paw, studying the filed down claws that his mother had carefully trimmed for him, and then looked over at Jewell’s, which were a bit more sharp – though she sharpened her claws by scratching a tree, which he thought was very peculiar. It was one of the many things he liked about his golden friend.

“You’re the problem here. You’re like totally wrecking this family. Just look at us!”

Beary glanced over at the picture on top of the entertainment center showing their last family vacation. Everyone looked wonderfully happy. Everybody, that is, except Dex, who was slouching and looking very annoyed with a glare at Beary. “Can I do something to help?” he asked his brother, confused.

“Well, the bus station is on Pine Street. You could go there and buy a one-way ticket to _denial_.”

Jewell gave another warning growl, earning a dark look from the teenager.

“Jewell, stop it.” Beary looked back at his brother. “Why are you being so mean? Aren’t we family?”

“You really want to know? Ugh.” He tossed down his controller and got up, heading for his closet. He rummaged around, throwing clothes and toys behind him, until he found what he was looking for: A small box labeled BEARY. He grabbed another box, this one named DEX. He brought them over and set them on his bed as he rummaged around in them. “Okay, here’s my baby picture.” He held up a picture of a boy wrapped in a yellow blanket in a hospital nursery. “And this is yours.” He reached into Beary’s box and pulled out a picture of a park ranger holding a bear cub by one leg.

“Okay, so?” Beary studied the picture of his younger self. He’d seen it several times before, and couldn’t figure out what Dex was getting at. That ranger was a friend of the family, as far as he was aware.

The human groaned. “Okay, here’s _my_ birth certificate,” Dex said, showing Beary the official paper. Beary studied it closely, determined to understand his brother this time. Jewell was doing the same thing. “And here’s _yours_.” He reached into Beary’s box and pulled out a strange-looking collar. Next, he brought out a small box. Flicking it on, it had a flashing light on it. He held the collar closer to it, causing the box to beep wildly. He moved it away, and the beeping slowed. “That’s how the ranger kept track of you.”

Beary frowned, taking the collar, studying it curiously, and then looked at the picture of him and the ranger. Was it true? He then picked up another picture, this one showing a younger version of himself with his parents. The Barringtons were waving proudly as the tiny baby Beary was snuggled into a baby carrier.

Dex grinned. “See? That’s the day Mom and Dad got you!”

Beary felt a knot in his stomach. “What do you mean ‘got me’?”

Dex’s grinned turned cruel, but in a nice way. A fake kindness. “Picked you up, man. You were left alone. Abandoned by your parents. Rejected. So they brought you home, showed you a bunch of Barney videos, and pretended you were their son. They lied to you. You don’t belong here. Hell, your own parents didn’t even want you!” He smirked. “See? You don’t belong, and you know it.”

“Dex! Come and wash the dishes!” Norbert called up from the bottom of the staircase.

Dex groaned, but got up, walking out of the room, fully aware of the devastation he had caused, but not what would happen because of it.

“Beary, don’t listen to him. He’s just a jerk!” Jewell argued, seeing how upset her friend was.

“But he’s right. I… I remember that day. I was scared, but when I heard Mom’s voice, I… I just went right to them, Jewell. I was so happy to have someone to care for me…” Beary frowned, setting the photograph down, staring at the collar. “I feel so… stupid. How did I not make the connection sooner? I… Jewell, I want to find somewhere I belong. I need to find my higher purpose, like Dad said.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Jewell thought back to the conversation at the dinner table, how Mr. Barrington had been trying to explain such a thing as a ‘higher purpose’ to Beary, but it’s meaning was lost on both of them.

“I… I don’t know.” He frowned and turned around, glancing at his wall of _Country Bear_ memorabilia. “But I have to think of something. If Dex is right, and he is, then I have no business being here. Mom and Dad… They lied to me. I’m adopted, and they kept trying to say I wasn’t.”

Jewell sighed, giving him a hug. “Oh, Beary… Hey, why don’t we watch a video? That always gets you in better spirits.”

“Y-Yeah, sure. Let’s do that.” Beary smiled at her. “I have a video of their last concert, and some interviews over here.” He put the collar back in the box, slipping the box under his bed, and searched for his video. Upon finding it, he put it in the built-in VCR and pressed play, laying on his bed on his front while Jewell laid on Dex’s.

However, Beary’s mind wasn’t on the video. He couldn’t even focus on the music, though he could hear Jewell singing along. He rested his head on his paws, sighing softly. His own parents didn’t want him? Abandoned? His adoptive parents were lying to him? He turned his face away from Jewell, letting out a muffled sob as tears rolled down his cheeks. He’d known he was different, but to learn that he was _this_ different was heartbreaking.

Jewell, sensing that something was really wrong with her friend, got up and moved over to his bed, settling down beside him. She wrapped an arm around him and licked his cheek comfortingly. “Hey… It’ll be okay, Beary… I promise, it’ll be okay.”

“Nothing’s going to be the same,” Beary responded softly, leaning close to her. Jewell had been the one to show him that snuggling was fine. She told him that bears did it all the time, same with the comforting lick to the face. He’d tried giving Dex a lick to the face once, years ago, and never did it again after the way his brother had reacted, which had been to yank hard on his tongue. “Why didn’t my parents want me, Jewell?”

The golden cub nuzzled him and gently tugged on his ear with her teeth. “No one knows. Maybe they died in a tragic accident and couldn’t come to get you? It might be something simple. Dex is just a big dummy for saying that they abandoned you!”

Her friend sighed, turning to look at her. “Jewell? I…”

“What?”

“I want to run away. Tonight.”

“ _Tonight_?! Beary, you can’t run away!” Jewell argued. “What about me? What about your parents?”

“They lied to me, Jewell! They… They aren’t my parents! I’m not meant to be here! I’m ruining this family! I’m going with or without you.”

Jewell frowned, but knew nothing she said would dissuade him, and if she told his parents, he’d just get into trouble. “How are you going to? Where are you going to go?”

“I…” Beary frowned and looked up at the video playing. “I want to go to _Country Bear Hall_.”

“How are you going to get there?”

“Take the bus or something. I should have enough in my piggy bank.”

Jewell bit her lip, and nodded. “I’ll go with you. I’m not letting you go on your own. My Mama will be fine with me going to the _Hall_. Maybe she might even be there! She said she was in the area again. I can’t wait to see her and hear of her adventures. She was going to take me on a trip with her this summer, but something happened and she wasn’t able to.” Jewell shrugged. “My stuff’s still packed up, but I don’t have many other clothes here. Wait, yeah, I do! I think I still have some clothes here from last month when I stayed here a week with you!” She got up and went over to his dresser, rummaging through it and pulling out a few shirts, jeans, and shorts. She then went into the closet and grabbed two of her feather-hemmed jackets. “Well, let me put this stuff in my backpack, and we’ll be good to go!”

Beary blinked a few times and grinned, happy that someone was listening to him. He got up and packed a few of his shirts and shorts into his backpack, along with his red _Country Bears_ scrapbook, a sketchbook and pack of pencils and erasers, and the tracking collar, and set it next to his guitar, wanting to take that along, too, as it was one of his most prized possessions.

Jewell grabbed hers as well, and they placed their bags in front of the window for later that night. They covered them up with a random blanket so no one would suspect, and went back to watching the video.

It wasn’t until around four in the morning that Beary quietly shut his bedroom door and turned on his light, opening up his piggy bank’s bottom and pulling out what money he could get from it. He stuffed the bills in his pocket and looked over at Jewell, who was quietly opening the bedroom window and putting their backpacks on the roof of the porch. She climbed out, and then pulled out their guitars.

Beary took a look around his room for the last time and pulled out a piece of paper, writing down a few words. He left the torn paper, upset that his claws had ripped it, on his bed and followed Jewell out the window and over to the tree. She climbed down first, and he passed down their bags and the guitar bag cases, following after he shut the window. Once he reached the ground, he pulled on his backpack, shivered a bit at the cool early morning air against his nose, and picked up his case, ready to go.

Silently, they ventured down the driveway, both a bundle of nerves, and both wondering if they were really going through with this.

At the base of the driveway, Beary paused and glanced back at the only home he remembered. “Goodbye, everyone. I’m off to find my higher purpose… and maybe my family, too.” Once he had said his piece, he hurried after Jewell up the street, both hoping to get to the bus station before anyone woke up.

Neither dared speak until they were at least two blocks away from the Barrington home, well on their way to the bus station that was nearly an hour’s walk away from them. They had checked online and had discovered that the next bus to Shelbyville – and passing through Pendleton – was at 6:30am. They could hang out in the station until their bus arrived, and could pose as simple travelers.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Beary?” Jewell asked, glancing over at him as they crossed another intersection by their elementary school. “We can still turn back.”

“Yes, I’m sure. I want to find where I really belong, and I figured I could start my journey by going to the _Hall_ for a visit before continuing on. I mean, I have nearly $50 in my pocket. That should be enough to get me a long bus ticket, right?”

“I would think so. I have about that much with me. Aunt Tasha always gives me spending money whenever I come over here in case we go somewhere.” Jewell shivered a bit in her green jacket, pulling her hood up over her head and sticking her ears through the openings in the fabric. She glanced over, watching as Beary did the same. “We look so silly.”

“Dex says it’s stupid. That the point of a hood is to cover your ears. Ours just stick out.” Beary moved his ears a bit, listening to the sounds around them, hoping that they wouldn’t get caught by anyone out and about.

“Dex is just a jerk, Beary. Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know anything about bears.”

“Well, neither do I. Not as much as you.”

“Then I’ll teach you. First of all, stop being gosh dang polite! If someone insults you, don’t hold back your anger.”

“But I-”

Jewell started laughing, shifting her guitar case to her other paw. “Beary, I was joking. If you weren’t polite, you wouldn’t be _you_.” He gave her a half-hearted smile, and she gave him a push on the arm, which he reciprocated playfully.

They talked and joked quietly as they continued walking, and by the time they had gotten their tickets from an uncaring ticket seller that asked no questions, and had waited for their bus and boarded, both were very exhausted and ready to sleep.

Yet, neither did, for fear of missing their stop at _Country Bear Hall_. They decided that they would catch a few Zzzs near one of the trees while they waited for the building to open for the day, since it was still early. So that’s exactly what they did.


	2. Part Two - Country Bear Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beary and Jewell reach Country Bear Hall at last.

When Beary and Jewell opened their eyes, the sun had already been up for two hours. Jewell checked her _Country Bear_ pocket watch and discovered that it was nine in the morning. She sat up and stretched from where she was curled up next to Beary in the trees along the road, across from a dirt path and covered bridge that led to _Country Bear Hall_.

Their bus ride had been pleasant enough, and no one had asked them any questions, which had rather surprised the young female, whose Uncle was a cop. At least the bus had been clean, and the hour-long ride made comfortable. And the driver had been nice enough to drop them off in front of _Country Bear Hall_ instead of in the town of Pendleton, where they would have had to walk another thirty minutes to get to the _Hall_ , which was outside the small town.

She glanced over at Beary, who was blinking the sleep from his eyes, and gently shook his shoulder. “Hey, Beary. Wake up. I think it’s time we got going, don’t you?”

“Yeah… Hey, they have bathrooms, don’t they?” Beary glanced over at her.

“Oh, just go behind a tree!” Jewell laughed. “They might not even be open yet. There’s no point in peeing your pants, you goose!”

“But, Jewell, that’s so… gross!”

Jewell rolled her eyes and walked back a few trees. “Not really. My aunt and uncle told me to do it when we’re out camping.”

“But we don’t even have toilet paper!” Beary argued, crossing his arms, trying not to hear the sounds of her relieving herself. He ended up clamping his paws over his ears and humming a tune.

“You are such a big baby!” Jewell yelled back, returning about a minute later. “Now go pee behind a tree.”

Beary groaned, not wanting to move from his spot, but he could feel his bowels becoming angry with him. “Ah, man… Fine. This is so wrong. This is nature, not a bathroom! I’ll probably step in someone’s poop, Jewell!”

The golden cub rolled her eyes and pulled on her backpack. “Just use a leaf to wipe yourself.”

“A _leaf_?!” her male counterpart shrieked, earning stifled laughter from her.

“Yes, a leaf. I checked, and there’s no poison ivy back there, Beary, so don’t worry.” Jewell shook her head, waiting a minute. “Are you done yet?!”

“I CAN’T PEE UNDER PRESSURE!”

“YOU ARE RIDICULOUS! JUST GO!” Jewell shook her head and waited for him to reemerge, which he finally did about five minutes later.

“That was just so… ugh! The proper place is in a toilet, and it smells horrible!” Beary complained, looking very embarrassed as he picked up his backpack and guitar case. “I am never doing that again! I can’t even wash my paws!”

“You are such a baby! You’re a bear! Just lick them!”

He squealed and backed away from her in shock. “If being a bear means being gross like that, then count me out,” he retorted. “Let’s go while I still have some dignity left.”

“You peed behind a tree. How is that undignified?” Jewell asked as they stepped out onto the road, heading for the small dirt road and covered bridge in front of them.

“It just is! Doing such things is for animals!”

Jewell gave him a sideways look as she leaned forward a bit. “Beary, _we_ are animals.”

His ears lowered and he sighed. “Yeah… That’s right.” His mood brightened suddenly when they passed through the bridge and came to stand in front of the magnificent structure of _Country Bear Hall_. Just like in all the posters and magazines Beary had collected, there was a big front porch and lots of windows. The front door was huge and had trees carved into it, and the grand _Country Bear Hall_ sign hung high and proud, its letters spelled out in branches.

Beary breathed out a “wow” and quickened his walk, Jewell keeping up his pace eagerly, though they both had to move out of the way when a black car appeared and drove down the same road they had been traveling, the driver giving them an odd look.

_.~*The Country Bears*~._

It was just a normal morning. No, really, it was. The birds were singing, the animals making their sounds. An occasional car passed by the _Hall_ on the long stretch of road that started at the highway and ended in Pendleton, none stopping to pay the humble music hall or town a visit.

Then again, no one did these days.

After the band had broken up about ten years ago, tourists would come by the dozens to see the building where the famous county band had once resided. As the years went on, less and less people began to show, until there was no one at all except for the occasional visitor that came about once or twice a year.

The money began to evaporate until there was next to nothing left. Well, Henry still had his business in Nashvill, but since the _Bears_ left, things had been going steadily downhill. If he couldn’t find new talent that didn’t crash and burn after a few years like the last few had, then he’d have to file for bankruptcy. The board of directors had wanted to sell the company, but he refused. When they tried to overthrow him, he had them fired. _Taylor Enterprises_ was his and Helen’s business, and he wasn’t going to let it die.

The former board members hadn’t cared about music in the end. All they wanted was money, money, money. They forgot about the joy of music, the life it took on. That’s why firing them and hiring new members wasn’t that hard of a decision.

That's when Reed Thimple III arrived. Thimple was one of the world's most annoying and persistent bankers. He came one day with the news that if Henry couldn't pay the bills, then there was only one solution: The _Hall_ would either be torn down or sold. Unfortunately, a buyer had not been found in time and it was decided that the _Hall_ was to be torn down.

Henry, Big Al, and Roadie were going to be forced to find a new home.

Yet, they still had all the acres Henry’s family owned around the _Hall_. The thing that hurt the most was that even if they’d be able to rebuild their home, the _Hall_ was Henry and Helen’s **home**. To lose it would be devastating, especially since Helen was still in the hospital after her car crash seven years ago, the same accident where Henry lost his son – who had vanished from the wreck. No one knew what had happened to him, and Helen could not tell him as she was in a coma.

Alan Williams sighed as he drove the tractor up the old dirt road that led from the fields back to the barn just as the first lights were hitting the sky. Up ahead, a greyhound charter bus was driving along the road; much to his surprise, it stopped right outside of the _Hall_. He didn't get to see anymore as he drove the tractor into its shed next to the barn and parked it, turning off the engine. He got down off the red machine and began to walk back to his home, taking his sweet time and taking a nap by a tree for a few hours, until around nine.

While Al was waking from his nap, Henry Dixon Taylor, owner and curator of _Country Bear Hall_ and original manager of the famous band, stood in front of an admission sign that read TOURS ON THE HOUR OR THEREABOUTS, $5. Unfortunately, that price had been crossed out and replaced with $2, which was also crossed out and replaced with fifty cents. Henry sighed, holding the thick black marker, and crossed out that number, too, putting the new price up of twenty-five cents. A coffee can hung from the sign, too, in the hopes that some random strangers would pass by, have pity on them, and put some money in for a donation.

Henry wore a tattered gray hat, which perfectly matched his old gray-green vest and golden tie. His thoughts were distant, belonging to his comatose wife and his lost child, once more trying to figure out the mystery of his son’s disappearance.

“Twenty-five cents?” asked a nasty voice that belonged to the notoriously downright mean banker, Reed Thimple, a man with lots of money but no class. “Now that’s a bargain. Do you have change for a hundred?”

Henry sighed, shook his head, and turned to look at him. “Hello, Reed,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “That joke’s a little old.”

“So are you,” the banker responded, laughing at his own wit. “Isn’t that why you like it?”

“I thought you weren’t coming back until you were going to tear the place down,” the bear responded, placing the black marker in his pocket.

Reed grinned, spinning his cane around. “That’s a whole four days away, Henry. Just wanted to see how the fund-raising was going.” He stuck his big nose in the coffee can, and tipped it over. A single quarter fell into his grubby hand. “Not too well, huh?”

Henry groaned and headed toward his office, and the banker was right behind him, still talking all high and mighty.

"The people who owned the bank before you didn't mind if I got behind in my payments a month or two.  **They**  cut me some slack because they had more compassion than your left toe!" Big Al heard Henry argue when he finally arrived back.

' _Oh, great. He's back_ ,' Al thought silently to himself as he walked onto the porch. ' _Wonder what he wants **this**  time_.'

"Uh-huh. How far behind are you right now?" Reed Thimple asked, his tone sarcastic and just a bit gleeful as he sat in a rickety old chair.

"Uh… Six… years…?" Henry grumbled.

Reed took out a little yellow pad and read some notes. " **Six**  years. 20,000 dollars. Big loans to pay for the hospital bills for your _poor_ wife. Must be tough," the human said, his voice filled with the fake sympathy that angered Al. "You had a good run, Henry, but good things must come to an end eventually. That also applies to lame, junky things like _Country Bear Hall_. Do you like the sound of crunching wood? I do."

Al arrived on the porch and peered around the corner at the two figures. He knew that Henry was holding back his anger, trying not to clobber the man that so rightly deserved it. Who could blame him if he did? The _Hall_ was his home! And how dare he talk about Helen in such a manner?

Thimple noticed the big gray bear staring and began to walk across the porch towards him. Al quickly disappeared back behind his corner and watched as the man, eyeing him, walked off the porch, heading towards his corvette before turning back. “Oh, and Henry, I almost forgot. Here’s your complimentary calendar from the bank. Check out March. She’s a sweet one.”

Henry sighed, taking the picture and looking at the month of March, which showed a hug building being completely demolished by a wrecking ball. He quickly flipped through the rest of the calendar, only to find that every month featured another building being crushed. Angrily, he ripped up the calendar, enraged at the thought of losing his and his wife’s home, though she was no longer here. He had already moved the things from her personal room on the top floor of the _Hall_ to one of the cabins among the acres that belonged to him.

“He took your quarter,” Big Al stated, earning a glare from the brown-gray bear. “He did!” Al's ears pricked and his eyes widened slightly at the sound of coins landing in a tin can.

"Oh, like  **that's**  gonna help," Reed Thimple said sarcastically as he made his way to his black corvette, quickly driving off.

Al glanced off the porch and his eyes widened in disbelief. Quickly, he got off the porch, grabbing the dreaded "Pardon Our Dust" sign, and approached the _Country Bear Hall_ sign, where a young cub was standing, slightly shocked at the man's rude demeanor.

Two cubs stood in front of the sign, running their paws along the wood engravings and talking to each other. The male had a brown face so light that it almost appeared white in color and hazel eyes. He wore a gray jacket, blue shirt and baggy green shorts. One of his light brown paws was wrapped around a guitar bag case handle, and on his back was a blue backpack. Standing next to him in a green feather-hemmed, purple and blue jacket, blue jeans, and a white t-shirt was a golden bear cub with short golden-auburn hair. She, too, was holding a guitar bag handle and had a red backpack.

Hoisting the sign up, Al spoke, startling the cub. "If you're goin' to stand there, you might as well give me a hand." He then began placing the dreaded sign across the familiar welcome sign.

"What's that?" the male asked, voice filled with confusion.

Al looked at him in confusion. "A sign," the old bear sighed before turning back to his job. ' _I would've thought that someone would know what a sign was…_ '

The female laughed a little at the answer, her laughter fading soon after as she read the sign, too.

"Yeah, but… "destroy"?"

_'_ _Ah_.' The older bear looked at the cubs with some sadness in his eyes. "Yeah… Well, they're gonna tear down _Country Bear Hall_."

The hurt and anger that overtook the sweet innocence in the young cubs’ eyes saddened Al. The cub turned and looked at the _Hall_. "Tear down _Country Bear Hall_?" the girl questioned.

"Yeah."

The male turned around and looking at the gray bear in disbelief and horror. " **Tear down**   _Country Bear Hall_?!"

The anger in the cub's voice amused Al. At least there were two other persons besides Henry, Roadie, and himself that thought the banker's way of getting the money owed to him was definite overkill. "Uh… Yeah… See now, I thought you meant the sign. I was gonna say, you sure is dumb if you don’t know what a sign is. Then I thought maybe you was from like Portuguese or Spainland or somethin’." Al looked up at the porch and saw Henry's disturbed expression. ' _Whaddah ya know… Henry can see the same similarities that I can in this male cub…_ ' he thought to himself.’

“Yeah, but-” Beary tried to explain, while Jewell snorted with laughter.

“Right,” agreed Big Al. “Well, _destroy_ , as in deconstruct or disassemble in a manner not inclinded to preservation of those parts. In other words, yeah, they’re gonna tear down _Country Bear Hall_.”

“Why?!”

“Well, uh, we’re in big debt and no one comes see us anymore, so the bank’s gotta get their money.” Big Al shrugged and returned to hammering.

The male looked in the direction Al had been looking and frowned. "Are you okay?" The female followed his gaze.

Henry was pulled out of his thoughts with a start. "Huh?"

"I asked if you were okay," the cub replied, stopping on the bottom step. "You were staring for nearly a minute."

The female nodded.

Even his tone reminded Al of his deceased sister, Helen. Was it possible?

Henry shook his head slightly, shaking off her memory. "I'm fine, kid. You just… reminded me of someone, that's all," he quickly answered.

"Oh," the younger bear replied as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

Henry spoke again, hoping to make the kid less nervous. "My name's Henry Taylor. What's yours?"

"Beary Barr-" the cub broke off and looked down. "It's Beary… Just…Beary…"

The answer surprised Al. ' _Just how many parents would name their cub "Beary"? It **has** to be him! It just  **has**  to be! Helen… Lil' sis… you guided your son home again…_'

“And mine’s Jewell! Jewell St. Claire,” the golden cub introduced.

Big Al blinked, finally taking a good look at her. “Wait, you look familiar.”

Jewell grinned and nodded. “My mother used to work here. Trixie St. Claire?”

The plump gray bear’s eyes widened. “Well, I’ll be. Hey, Hen, look at this! Trixie had a daughter!”

"Well," Henry began, completely distracted, "Beary, Jewell, you paid for a tour, so let's get started, shall we?"

Al watched in amusement as the young cubs scurried up the steps towards Henry. Henry glanced back at Al with a slight smile.


	3. Part Three - Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Convincing one set in his old ways is simply ridiculous, in Jewell's opinion.

“So, where are you two from? In town? I didn’t realize there were still young families here.” Henry looked at the cubs curiously.

“Nope! We’re from Nashville,” Jewell jumped in, grinning ear to ear.

“Nashville, huh?” Henry blinked. “What are you doing all the way out here? Where are your parents? How old are you?”

“Beary’s looking for his higher purpose,” she responded again, earning a glare from the white-faced cub. “What? That’s what you told me. I just tagged along. We’re also both ten-years-old.”

Henry frowned. “You are runaways?” He was ready to go call their parents right then and there.

“I… I don’t…” Beary responded, looking away. “Please, don’t turn us in!”

Henry stared at him. “No family, huh? And you, you said you were Trixie’s daughter?”

Jewell nodded. “Mhm. Is my mother here? She said she was in the area. Well, somewhere in Tennessee. Last month she was in New York, and the month before that, she was in California.”

“I see… Does she at least know you’re here?”

“Nope!”

Henry groaned, shaking his head. “Well, I’m fairly certain she won’t kill me, so, all right. You two can stay until I can get ahold of her. Anyway, this tour. Follow me. Go ahead and set your bags down by the door. Sorry, it’s a bit dusty, but it won’t kill you.” He waited until the cubs put down their items. “Are you guys hungry?”

“Starving!” Jewell exclaimed at the same time Beary gave a small nod.

The older bear’s ears perked, and he made them sit on a bench while he disappeared through a door, returning a few minutes later with a couple of apples. “Here. Eat this.” He sat down as well, eating his own apple, making sure they at least ate and knew where to throw away the core. “Better? I wish I had more to offer you guys, but…” He shrugged. “Now you can follow me.”

He led them up to the main balcony, showing the many pictures of bands that had played at the grand music hall. “This place would fill up every weekend night. Lotta great music on that stage,” he explained. “But nobody, and I mean _nobody_ was like _The Country Bears_.”

Jewell nodded appreciatively at the information, carefully writing down these facts for her own scrapbooks. Beary watched her neat handwriting, slightly jealous, but also listened.

Henry leaned against the branch railing, looking over at the music hall and sighing dreamily, recalling the gold ol’ days. “Place’d be packed. People sitting everywhere. Even in the rafters. Sometimes I’d climb up there to hear the notes.”

“What notes?” Beary asked.

“The music,” Henry explained. “The millions of notes that floated up there. Some of the best darn notes ever.”

“Well, why don’tcha stop them from tearing this place down?” Beary suggested. “You sound so sad.”

“Why?” Henry asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Twenty thousand dollars, that’s why. You don’t get it, I don’t got it. Goodbye, _Country Bear Hall_. I can’t raise that kind of money, no matter how much I want to.”

Jewell frowned. “Why not? Just have a fundraiser!”

“You think I haven’t been trying? No one cares anymore. No one but us here.” Henry led them down from the balcony and the stage, showing them the instruments on their stands, sadly gathering dust from disuse.

Beary looked at the instruments sadly, disappointed in how they looked. It was so sad! He knelt down, gently running his paws over Ted’s Gibson guitar, flinching at the out-of-tune notes. He glanced over at Jewell, who was running her paws along her mother’s old keyboard which needed some serious fixing up.

Henry watched them, ears lowering slightly. “Well, uh, come on. Let’s get out of this dump and go outside again. There’s more to this tour. We’ll have to ride in the golf cart, and I can show you their cabins. A lot of their old stuff is still there.”

Beary and Jewell glanced at each other excitedly, following him down the stairs that lead to the stage, and out the door, bringing their bags and setting them outside on the porch.

Beary glanced around while Henry dug around in his office for some keys, and his eyes fell on the sign above the porch. He stepped off the porch, getting a better look at it. ‘Country Bear Hall _… Wait, that’s it!_ ´ He waited until Henry returned, and pointed at it. “What about that?”

Henry glanced up at the sign. “No one wants that old sign.”

“No, not the sign! I mean _Country Bear_!”

Jewell glanced at him. “Huh?”

“The band! The band could raise that money! They love _Country Bear Hall_!” Beary said, remembering a quote from Zeb saying that he’d do anything for the place.

“That was a long time ago,” Henry replied with a sigh. “They don’t care anymore. Nobody does.”

“We do!” the cubs exclaimed.

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s time you two moved on to some more current group like… like… you know, current,” Henry mumbled, getting annoyed.

“Wait a minute, I got it!” Beary grinned, glancing at Jewell. “I’ve always heard that people have a higher purpose in life, and I think I just found mine. I belong here. I belong here, helping you save this place, and we can do it with a concert to raise the money!”

Jewell’s eyes widened, and she jumped in with a little hop. “We can get the band back together!” she shouted eagerly with Beary.

For a moment, Henry seemed thrilled at the prospect, but then reality gobbled up his happiness. “Get the band back together? Get the... Get the...”

“Uh-huh!”

Why that is just the stupidest thing I ever… Never in a million years!” he protested.

Beary grinned. Now that he had figured out his higher purpose, it would take a lot to talk him out of it. Just the thought of the band back together excited him! “This place is historic! I know they’ll do it. They can play a show!”

“Now stop it,” Henry instructed. “Forget it. Just stop it!”

“But-” Jewell began.

“Now I said stop it! It’s over!” Henry turned away, trying to go back to his office, but Beary stepped in front of him.

“You don’t care.”

“What?” Henry blinked.

“You don’t care. Now I get why they dumped you as their manager all those years ago,” the cub said, looking up at Henry.

“Now–Now that’s just mean,” Henry said, looking hurt. Of course this cub wouldn’t fully understand what had happened, that the band had been swayed by the prospect of more money and fame, which had ultimately been a lie, which had lead to more fights, which had lead to them coming back to Henry, and finally to the grand breakup. “Know what, kids? Tour’s over. Forget going to the cabins. Why don’t you just go back to your families!” Henry turned on his heel and marched back into his office.

“Now _you’re_ being mean,” Beary murmured, ears flattening as he stood there alone with Jewell. “I don’t _have_ a family.”

“Oh, Beary,” Jewell murmured, wrapping her arms around him, giving him a hug. “It’s all right. He’s just upset, that’s all. Come on. Let’s go sit by the lake. I see an apple tree over there. Maybe we can have some more apples. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. We can go play our guitars, too!” She smiled when his ears lifted a bit and he gave a nod.

_.~*~._

Al had been in his adjoined home that he shared with Henry when he had heard Henry shout angrily before appearing in the doorway a few moments later.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"Dumb kids! Stupid idea! ‘Get the band back together’. Bah," the Taylor growled as he threw his hat on the table.

"You could do that," Al stated.

"Ah, look. Even if we found them, a-a-a  **concert** …!" Henry was pacing back and forth, pulling off his golden necktie and throwing it in the chair. "You need tickets and promotions and everything! I don't know… We haven’t done that in years! No one comes to play here anymore. Too out of the way."

"I could do that."

"Oh, Al… Look. Let's face it. In a week from now, some teenager's gonna be teaching us how to operate a deep fryer. I’ll never pay off the hospital bills." Henry looked down, his shoulders hung in defeat. He had given up on everything a long time ago. He turned and looked at Al with a sad expression.

"We could do that," Al answered.

Henry just looked at him incredulously. "Have you listened to a  _thing_  I've said?" he questioned.

"Huh?"

"Just  _what_  are you thinking about?"

The elder gray bear didn't answer for a long moment. He looked out the window towards the pond, where he saw one of the cubs climbing the apple tree and taking some apples. He sighed before speaking. "What do you see when you look at 'im?" he asked, glancing back at his brother-in-law.

Henry avoided Al's piercing blue-gray eyes, shifting his own hazel ones towards the floor. With a soft sigh, he answered. "I see a runaway cub that has no business being here. He should just go home where he belongs and take his ideas with him before… before he gets hurt." He glanced at the older bear, who was frowning at him with a hint of anger in his eyes. "Why? What do  **you**  see?"

"I see a cub with amazin' for'tude and who also is quite d'mure." Al glanced back out the window at the young cub and smiled softly. "In other words, I see Helen," he articulated. He glanced at Henry again, watching his response.

The pepper furred bear stiffened at the mention of his comatose wife. His eyes closed and his breathing hitched. When he spoke again a few minutes later, his voice was of forced calmness. "Don't even go there, Al. You know as well as I that-"

"Your son may not have died, Henry!" Al angrily stated, stomping his foot on the floor. "Helen may be in a coma and unreachable, but  **not**  your son! You know that! They never found his body!"

"And you know that I can't admit… I…" He sighed. "It's too late to do anything about it now, anyway. It's been too long… he’s got a new family and friends. If I spoke up, it would just cause trouble for him. Plus, how would I take care of him? We can barely feed ourselves right now."

The gray bear walked towards him and placed a gray paw on his shoulder. "It's never too late to reconnect with a child," he said slowly, his speech slurring slightly. "But if you never try, you'll never  **know**."

"But what if that's not even him?" Henry whispered, glancing out the window at the cubs. He knew what he said was a lie.

Al laughed. "If you can't see that that's him, then you are  _blind_ , my friend."

This got a small smile out of the pepper furred before he frowned again. "But-"

"If my cousin-y adoptive sister could see you now, Henry Dixon Taylor, she would be very disappointed. What are you gonna tell her when she wakes up and finds out that you wouldn’t even take back your own cub? She’d clock you."

Henry looked down, sadness clouding his eyes. He knew what the older bear said was true.

"You know there is only one way, Hen. Do you really want this 'portunity to pass you by?" Al removed his paw from the younger bear's shoulder and walked back to his room. "Think about it."

Henry sighed and nodded, disappearing into the _Hall_ through another door, heading up to the third-story platform, where he opened the swinging rafter doors. He leaned against the doorframe, looking out through the tree branches at the world, deep in thought. Big Al was right. He shouldn’t let this opportunity pass him by. Had Helen led their son home to him? Or had it merely been coincidence?

He turned back to the _Hall_ , going back down to the main balcony, and looking out at the stage. In his mind’s eye, he could see the band up with their instruments, playing to a roaring crowd. He could hear them singing _Where Nobody Knows My Name_ , a popular song and one of their hit singles.

Sadly, the crowds faded, and the band vanished, yet Henry could still hear singing. A male and female duet. He followed the sounds of the music down the stairs, out through the main doors, and out on the front lawn by the lake under the apple tree.

Sitting on a log, facing the lake, with about ten apple cores lying around them were Beary and Jewell, singing with their hearts the very song Henry had been thinking about. Their voices were clearer and crisper than any other young bear’s voice he’d heard. In fact, he hadn’t heard such a young voice with that talent since Zeb!

Already, his mind was flowing into that of a talent scout, and he had found his quarry: Two talented bear cubs who could very well make it as big, if not bigger, than _The Country Bears_ themselves! Henry had to let out a soft snort as he realized that these two cubs were actually the second generation of the band. Well, one of them was. The other was his lost son.

Beary and Jewell, seemingly unaware of his presence, strummed the last few chords on their guitars and sighed, looking out at the gentle water of the pond.

“Do you really think he’s mad at us?” Jewell asked, not moving her eyes from the water.

“Yeah, I do. He basically told us to get out. I… I guess I have enough money to get a bus ticket to, oh, I don’t know Memphis, maybe. I hadn’t realized how much tickets cost when we left. Maybe I can start looking for one of the band members there. Maybe Ted! He grew up in Memphis, remember? Maybe he’s there!” Beary smiled weakly.

Jewell rested her head on his shoulder. “Hey, you’re not going without me. If I can get ahold of Mama, she can help us find the others, too!”

Beary nodded. “Yeah, that’ll be great. I remember Trixie, but just barely. I always seemed to be out of town when she came to visit you. It’s been years.”

“Yeah. Mama liked you. She always asks how you’re doing.”

“Heh, that’s nice.” Beary sighed again. “Well, let’s load up on apples and go catch that bus.”

Jewell nodded and straightened.

Henry frowned, having listened to their conversation. Had he really upset them that much? And yet, they still wanted to try to get the band back together? He hadn’t meant to upset them, just dash their unrealistic dreams of the band getting back together. Yet, maybe they were right. After all, it had been ten years. Maybe it was time to track down the boys.

He cleared his throat, amused to see that he had startled both cubs, who looked back at him in confusion. “Listen, I’m sorry about my, uh, outburst earlier. It’s been an emotional day for me. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“It’s okay,” Beary responded with a smile. “I forgive you.”

“Same here,” Jewell echoed, also smiling.

“You two play and sing very well. What are your hopes for the future?”

The cubs glanced at each other and grinned before turning back to him. “We want to be singers!” they both responded.

Henry grinned. “Maybe someday you will be.” He clapped his paws together. “Now then, if we’re going to get the band back together, we’re going to need some transportation!”

Beary and Jewell shared another look, trying to figure out what he meant. Realization dawned on them, and they let out excited shouts.


	4. Part Four - The Woes of Mrs. Barrington

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Barrington Home wakes.

Dex yawned and stretched as he sat up in the guest bed, grumpy and cranky. The sheets had been scratchy all night, and the bed wasn’t conformed to his body like he preferred. Why did his parents have to be so stupid as to let a _bear_ sleep in his bed?! Why did they insist on giving Beary and Jewell all the perks, while he got kicked out of his room? Why did they let Beary have girls over, but not him?! It was so unfair.

The teenager got out of bed, scratched his butt, side, and neck, and went into the hallway, heading for the bathroom. Upon relieving himself, he washed his hands, yawned again, and wandered over to his real bedroom’s door. “Yo, doofus and doofureeta, time to get up and get out so I can get changed.” He pushed open the door and ventured in, surprised to not see them still sleeping. Usually Beary was a heavy sleeper and not a morning person, and yet, neither he nor Jewell were in the room.

Dex rolled his eyes. Maybe they were showing him up again by being out of bed first. Typical.

He went over to his bed, groaning when he found golden fur all over it. Grumping a bit, he yanked the blankets and sheets off, furious that he had to deal with all this bull. “Dumb bears! I hate them and their fur! And she ripped up my sheets! Damn it! I get enough of the BS from Beary!” He threw his blankets and sheets in his laundry bucket, and stormed downstairs, ready to swear at his ‘brother’ and his guest.

His father, however, met him at the base of the stairs, furious. “Dexter! Get down here right now!”

The teenager groaned, wondering what he’d done this time, and wandered into the kitchen to find his mother sobbing uncontrollably and his father not looking much better. They were at the kitchen table, slumped over a piece of notepaper.

“Are you happy now?” Norbert Barrington asked his son, glaring angrily at him.

“Huh?”

Without looking at him, Mr. Barrington handed over the piece of paper. Dex studied the paper covered with chicken-scratching handwriting that was noticeably Beary’s. “Why would this make me happy?”

“Read it,” his mother, Allison Barrington, said, trying to stop her tears. “It’s from your brother. He’s run away from home with Jewell to find their destiny, never to return again!”

Dex blinked. “You _all_ of that from _this_?” he asked, gesturing at the note, which read JEWELL AND I ARE GOING TO FIND OUR DESTINY. LOVE, BEARY.

“Of course we did. There it is, plain as day,” his father responded.

Dex rolled his eyes, tossed the note back on the table, and poured himself an extra-large bowl of victory cereal. He’d finally gotten rid of that drain-clogging, sheet shredding, family ruining bear! “You knew you were gonna have to release him into the wild someday.”

“Dexter!” Norbert scolded.

Allison let out another wail. “Oh, my baby will never make it in the big city! With its crooks and thieves and...”

“... big game hunters,” added Dex, smiling with his mouth full of cereal.

“Dexter! You are grounded!”

“What?! Why?!” Dex looked at his father angrily. “Just because his natural instincts kicked in and he left, you’re blaming me?! That’s not fair!”

“And none of that would have happened if it hadn’t been for your attitude last night!” Norbert responded. “Now we have to contact Tasha and James, Jewell’s aunt and uncle and caregivers, and they’re going to be furious!”

Dex gulped. More bears? Angry _adult_ bears? Capable of ripping him to shreds?! And his parents wanted to bring them here?! Did his parents not care about his safety at all? “You know what? I’m going to finish my cereal and go to a friend’s house, okay?”

“Nuh-uh. You’re grounded. You’re staying right here,” Norbert warned. “Now finish your cereal and stay where I can keep an eye on you.”

“Keep an eye on me?! Aam I a prisoner now?! This is bullshit!”

“Watch your mouth! I will not have that kind of language in this household, Dexter Barrington!” Norbert yelled, furious.

Dex stared at his normally complacent father in shock. Had he really just yelled at him? “Look, the family pet is finally gone. Why can’t we just be happy and get a cat or dog or something? Or, hell, even a pet fish? You let him eat my pet fish and never got after him. I want a new fish.”

Norbert shook his head. “Maybe when you grow up and start acting your age. Finish your cereal.”

_.~*~._

“What do you mean they’ve run away?” Natasha Stone, Jewell’s black bear aunt – and Trixie’s sister – asked as she stood in the living room of the Barrington home, her young son, Jordan, sleeping on the couch. She had come straight over when she had gotten the call from Norbert.

Norbert nodded, offering her a spot to sit. “We found the note this morning on Beary’s bed. It didn’t say where they were going, just that they were leaving. I’m sure Jewell only went to try to change Beary’s mind in it.”

Tasha groaned, sitting down next to her sleeping son. “Oh, darn it all. Jewell, you’re so stubborn... Just like your mother.” She shook her head. “How is Allison? I smell cookies. I hope she’s not stressing out the baby.”

“She started cooking them about thirty minutes ago. The first batch should be ready at any time. We called the police, but they said that they have to wait a certain amount of time since it’s only a runaway case and there’s no proof of kidnapping.” Norbert sighed. “I never realized how complicated such a thing is. Shouldn’t you start looking immediately?”

Tasha nodded. “Normally, yes, but sadly a lot of time and money is wasted on runaways that are actually just a block from the house. That’s why this rule was implemented. James isn’t happy about it, either. He’s been trying to fix that, but so far nothing’s happening.”

“Is he at work today?”

“Yeah. He says he’ll keep an unofficial lookout for them. I just spoke to him as soon as I got off the phone with you. He said that he and his partner, Jade Falco, will be driving around town anyway, so they'll look into it the best they can, but they can’t officially assign themselves to it. For one, James is related, and that’s a no-no. They don’t want him to make rash, stupid decisions because Jewell’s his niece.” Tasha frowned a bit. “I should give Trixie a call, but I don’t want to worry her. Not yet.”

“I understand. You are welcome to wait here with us for any news.”

“Thank you kindly. I will do just that. Plus, I don’t want to wake Jordan up again. He wasn’t happy about missing his morning nap earlier. He’s such a grouch.” She gently stroked her son’s ear, smiling gently at him.

Norbert smiled as well. “He is quite adorable, though.” He cleared his throat and sat in the chair. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. I fear waiting too long, something might happen to them. I know Beary emptied his piggy bank. I don’t know how much he had, though.”

“And I gave Jewell money before she came over, in case you all went somewhere. I still remember that one time you all went out to eat, and Jewell ate more than you all expected, and I had to pay you back because I felt so bad about it.”

The balding man managed a smile. “It surprised us, that’s for sure. We thought bears couldn’t eat what humans do. We changed Beary’s diet then and there to include more varieties.”

Tasha nodded. “I remember Allison asking me about it, yes. I was quite surprised that you had only been feeding Beary fish. That was quite the conversation.”

“Indeed.” Norbert sighed, looking over in the direction of the fireplace, studying the pictures that adorned it. “I don’t know where we went wrong with Dex. He used to be such a happy kid, and now he’s so negative and hateful, especially towards his brother.”

“Well, you are a mixed family. It’s not often, if at all, you meet a family of humans who have adopted a bear cub and vice versa. I remember some of the trouble you guys would get in. A certain restaurant owner kicked you out because he didn’t want bears in his restaurant and that Beary had accidentally clawed up the climbing equipment on the playground?”

“Yeah, Allison was very upset at that, but she knows a good lawyer, and they went to court over it. She won, of course, because the owner never put up signs in public view that said no bears.” He sighed. “Yet, the damage was done, and Beary never wanted to go on another restaurant playground again for years. Dex was thrilled, though. Never quite understood why.” He stood up again, hearing his wife crying. “I’m going to go and help Allison. Feel free to watch some television. The remote we have for Beary – more heavy-duty, I mean – is over here.”

.~*~.

“So, James, tell me why we’re out on patrol instead of looking for your niece and her friend?” Patrol Officer black bear, green eyed, black haired Jade Falco asked as she glanced out the window of the cop car. “You can’t tell me you don’t want to go looking for them.”

Black bear Sergeant James Stone glanced over at her as he stopped at a red light. “You know I do, but we can’t. I can’t afford to get fired, Jade, or written up. We know that they ran away, but we don’t know where to _or_ when they left. It could have been in the middle of the night for all we know. And like I said, we don’t know where they went, so they could even be just around the block hanging out. It would also seem that Jewell took her phone, so if they were going to run away, they wouldn’t have taken it. Yet, we can’t reach her as she’s either let the battery die or she has it off, or on silent.”

He shook his head and pressed the gas, moving their bear-sized vehicle forward. He and Jade had been partners for about two years, and despite his promotion to Sergeant, since he had been with the force longer than her, he had chosen to stay her partner and keep on the patrols, liking being out and about in the city rather than behind a desk most of the day. Jade was like a sister to him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. They were also a great team, and had stopped many a criminal’s nasty work.

He had met his partner through his wife, as the two of them had gone to college together. Jade had originally been a financial consultant, but after James had seen how she had been trained physically in a military academy, he had convinced her to join the force, to put her training to good use.

“So, basically, we’re going to drive around and do nothing?” Jade asked, rolling her eyes.

“You know as well as I that I’ve been blocked from being involved in the case, if there is one, because of my relationship to Jewell. They don’t want me getting distracted. Plus, neither of us are detectives. They’re the ones who are going to be taking care of the case, I think.”

“Just as long as they’re not those two bumbling idiots that barely made it out of the Academy,” Jade muttered. “Hamm and Cheets, I think?”

“No way would they be that stupid and put those two on the case. They would muck it up so badly that we’d be cleaning up for weeks afterwards!” James rolled his blue eyes in exasperation. “No, they’ll get someone good. Now then, let’s go catch this guy that just ran a red light up ahead of us.”

Jade grinned. “Sounds good to me!”

.~*~.

Mrs. Barrington whimpered a bit more as she stuck a batch of brownies in one oven, and a pan of cookies in the other. She knew she’d have to find a place for all the food, but she didn’t feel like going to her bakery, leaving it closed for the day. She felt bad about the loss of business, but not as bad as the fact that her little bear cub had run away from home. Her precious little boy.

Allison moved the cookies she had from a mesh tray to cool onto a platter to give to her guests. It had been about two hours since Tasha and Jordan had arrived, and while Allison normally wouldn’t have minded the company, she was feeling very guilty over losing Jewell. She should have gone upstairs and spoken to Beary after what happened at the dinner table, but he had seem so happy that she hadn’t realized anything was wrong. Hadn’t he believed her when she said he wasn’t adopted? Or had he finally realized that they’d been lying to him all these years? Was that what made him leave?

“Oh, my poor, poor cub. All alone out there...”

“Allie, he has Jewell with him,” Norbert reminded, wandering into the kitchen. “So he’s not alone.”

“But they’re only ten, Norbert! They’re too young to be on their own, and Beary barely knows anything about being a bear! He’s more human-like than Jewell. He’ll not make it!” She let out another wail and leaned against her husband. “Have we done wrong in leading him to believe he was no different than us? Have we wronged him?”

The balding man in a brown jumper gently rubbed her arms. “Oh, Allison, maybe we denied him his basic needs out of ignorance, but we are learning. We took him in after his mother’s crash in the woods, and never located the father... Well, we did, but we never went to him as he was grieving so much after the incident.”

“Drunk, you mean,” Allison broke in.

“Drunk, then. We did what we could and we took Beary into our home. Yes, suddenly bringing him into the family was very troublesome at first, but he’s fit in fairly well with everyone but Dex.”

“Our parents hate him, though, and my sister...” Allison shivered as she remembered what her sister, Kathy, had offered to do when first meeting the newest member of the family. “I don’t regret bringing him home and keeping him. I will always love him as my own son, no matter if he gets bigger and stronger than us. I... Oh, Norbert...”

“Allison, everything will work out. Beary will realize that we love him and that we’re his family.”

“And if not?”

He frowned and let out a bit of a sigh. “Beary’s not like that. He knows he’s loved here.”

“Does he? Dex... Dex treats him so nastily... We should have given them separate rooms years ago. Making them stay in the same room to build a brotherly bond was great in theory, but it didn’t work out. Dex hates him, and I can’t understand why. Do we not give them both equal attention?”

Norbert frowned, thinking a bit. “We do tend to favor Beary over him... I’ve noticed it a few times, actually, but I never said anything. I just thought he was being dramatic. Now that I think about it, though, he was just acting out to get our attention also.”

“Favoring one son over the other... What have we done? No wonder he hates Beary! Maybe we should talk to him now before it’s too late?”

“First, we’ll see how he does with Beary gone. See if that really is the problem. If it is, then we will address it,” Norbert reasoned. “But right now, you are very upset, and should you hear the wrong thing, other things will be said, and nothing will be resolved.” He kissed her forehead. “We will get to the bottom of this, Allie.”

She nodded, wiping the tears from her face. “I... I gotta get these brownies and cookies out of the oven.”

“And then eat them to stave off those pregnancy hormones?” he asked playfully.

“Yep.”


	5. Part Five - Harmonica Rhythm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred Bedderhead's life hasn't exactly turned out as he originally planned...

Henry let out a bellow of laughter as he heard a yell from the bench of the tour bus where Beary had just sat. Beary, however, jumped like he’d been shot, and looked back at the bench with wide eyes, only to see a shirtless human with long hair sit up, holding his stomach, the blankets he’d covered himself with slipped down the front of him into his lap.

“Beary, Jewell, meet Roadie,” Henry introduced to the two startled cubs. “Driver, roadie, and drummer for the band.”

Roadie held out his hand to the cubs, shaking their paws. “Real name is John, but I like being called Roadie instead, so stick with that.”

“I’m Beary, and this Jewell,” Beary repeated what Henry had said, smiling. “Nice to meet you.”

The hippie smiled at him before looking at Henry. “Uh, Hen? Why are you guys in here? You know I asked to be informed if any tours came through.”

“This isn’t a tour, Roadie. We’re, uh, getting the band back together for one last ditch concert to save the _Hall_. Two, actually, since I don’t want to charge a ridiculous price, even though we need the money. You charge a high price for a concert that might not happen, and people won’t come. But if it’s lower, then they will.” He smiled at his own brilliance.

Roadie blinked a few times, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “We’re… getting the band back together?”

“We’re gonna try!” Jewell confirmed.

“Well then, I guess I’d better get up, huh?”

“It would help,” Henry laughed.

Roadie still sat there, though, and an awkward silence fell.

“Uh, Henry?”

“What, Roadie?”

“I’m not exactly dressed to be getting up… Could you guys wait outside so I can get dressed?”

Henry blinked. “Huh? Oh. OH! Okay. Kids, off the bus for a minute or two!” The older bear ushered the two confused cubs off the bus.

Roadie emerged a few minutes later, dressed in jeans, a clean t-shirt, and a brown jacket from another era. “Well then, let’s get this bus out and get on the road! But first, have you seen my chicken?”

Henry, Beary, and Jewell all shook their heads, and were soon drawn to Big Al yelling.

"Get off my grass!"

Roadie groaned and raced over to scoop up the chicken.

"He was makin' a mess on my grass!" Al complained almost childishly.

"Sorry, Big Al," the human apologized, slinking back to the bus with his chicken.

"Yeah," the bear grumbled as he examined  **his**  grass. Seeing that there was no "mess" on the green blades, he sighed and looked back at the bus.

Beary and Jewell climbed onto the very-dirty-on-the-outside bus, now that it was started with a mighty screech and groan that caused them to cover their ears, and stared in awe at the pictures pinned to the red and gold velvet walls, and newspaper articles, magazine covers and interviews. Much of what they found in the bus they had never seen before, such as t-shirts, records, and even a gold record framed on the wall, therefore leaving them very excited and happy.

Henry glanced at Roadie a moment, and the two looked at the cubs in amusement. “Sit down, you two. We’re going to be going.” He then went back down the stairs and looked for his brother-in-law. "Get the place ready for the concert, Big Al! I'm counting on you!" Henry called from the door just before it shut.

"Don't you worry about nothin', Henry. You just go get them boys!" As the bus began to move, the gray bear quickly added, "Oh! And be careful of my-" His warning came too late as the bus drove right through his grass, leaving two deep, muddy tracks in the soft dirt. "-grass…" Al groaned, frustrated. He threw his arms up in the air before slamming his paws against his sides in exasperation.

There was a loud creaking noise behind him, followed by a loud thud. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped in disbelief before he turned and saw that the shed had finally fallen over.

He  _definitely_  had his work cut out for him. He needed to make a few phone calls and try to get some help for out here.

_.~*The Country Bears*~._

Fred Bedderhead took his post at a security checkpoint at a music studio in Memphis, TN, and looked out at the soundstage that was bustling with people – both bears and humans. Standing at six foot six, he was the tallest person there, his dark brown fuzzy head standing out above the music cases and the colored lights.

“Hey, Fred,” one stagehand said.

“How’s it goin’?” another questioned.

Fred smiled at everyone as they passed, giving them an honest, happy answer. Everyone knew him because he was in charge at that soundstage, being the security guard.

“Excuse me? Can I get by?” asked a pretty young woman.

“Sorry, but you have to be part of the video shoot to get in,” Fred stated, not looking at her as he took a drink from his Styrofoam cup, figuring it was another fan.

She rolled her eyes. “I kinda _am_ the video shoot.”

“Oh, Krystal, hey!” Fred said, putting his cup down, flustered. How embarrassing to not have recognized her!

“I am so glad to see you!”

He blinked, raising his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yeah, can you get my stuff?” Not seeing his disappointed expression, she led him back to where her giant road case was.

Fred put all his 750 pounds behind the case, pushing it behind her as she pranced past a couple of dancers who were warming up.

“So, whatcha been up to, Fred?” she asked, glancing back at him.

“Oh, stuff,” he responded, trying to come up with something interesting. “Playing with my harmonica.

“Really? You play?”

Krystal was walking pretty fast, and Fred was trying hard to catch up with her. He wanted her to know that there was more to him than being a security guard! “Oh, yeah, I used to be in _The Country_ … oof!” He walked into a post. “ _Bears_ …” he finished, feeling dizzy from bumping his nose into the cases.

As he was rubbing his head, Krystal picked up the bear-sized harmonica that feel from his pocket. It was shiny gold and beautiful – definitely something special. She admired it for a second until she noticed that it said THE FRED on the underside and THE COUNTRY BEARS on the top.

“ _The Fred_?” she asked pensively. “Wait a minute, you’re Fred Bedderhead? Fred from _The Country Bears_?”

“Yeah.”

“You played great harp! One of the first concerts I ever went to as a child was you guys playing!” she said. “And didn’t you invent the stage dive?”

“Yeah, but I’m too old for that now,” Fred said, waving the thought away with his paw. “Besides, Ted’s the one who was the genius.”

Krystal frowned. “You’re not too old! C’mon, you should play with us.” She motioned for him to follow her.

“Huh?” He ran toward the stage, trying to catch up with her.

“C’mon, Fred, show us what you got.” She passed him back his shiny harmonica.

Fred’s stomach got all jittery and his nose twitched. “Ooo, well, uh, geez. Okay.”

One of the guys on the stage started playing a little percussion. Fred took a deep breath and nervously started to play. He hadn’t played with anyone since the band broke up years ago! A moment later, the band kicked in, and Krystal started to sing. A roadie ran in and stuck a microphone in front of Krystal, and the director signaled the special-effects guy to turn on the fog machine for the practice shoot.

Even the dancers started to strut their stuff. The stage came alive with song, dance, and light. And there was Fred, a former famous band bear, playing along and having all sorts of fun! His mind filled with the memory of the crowd chanting his name, and he got more and more excited.

"Stage dive! Stage dive! Stage dive! Whoa!" Fred chanted as he began to run towards the edge of the stage, memories clouding his mind. He thought he saw an audience below, chanting and cheering his name, just waiting to catch hi –

**THUMP!**

He landed on his stomach on the hard ground, where there were  **not** any people in an audience. It was just a cold cement floor. What a pity.

In the distance, he thought he heard a familiar voice groan, "Oh, Fred…"

He was vaguely heard the footsteps as onlookers – mainly members of Krystal's band – came towards him.

"Hey, Fred. You all right?" Krystal asked, her chocolate brown eyes filled with worry and concern.

Fred Bedderhead turned halfway over and looked at the white-wearing singer. Fred wheezed like a harmonica, and Krystal reached into his huge mouth and pulled out his musical instrument. Fred coughed, sounding less musical, and looked at her, embarrassed. Blushing under his fur at his embarrassment, he tried to explain himself. "Uh… The Dive works better-"

"Yeah, with an audience, right?" Krystal finished for him.

"Yeah," the bassist agreed.

"Yeah," she softly giggled as she stood up straight. "Well, if you're all right, I gotta go get ready for the shoot.”

"Okay."

"It was fun." She waved, and then disappeared.

 _'Great job, Fred_ ,' he mentally groaned.  _'You're never going to be able to live this one down_.' He watched her leave, still feeling downcast. "Sure was! Wish I could play some more!" he called as he began to get himself up.

"I might be able to help you out with that."

The voice was familiar, yet unexpected. Turning halfway over again, he looked at the three bears – an adult and two cubs – coming towards him with wide eyes.

"Huh?  _Henry_?"

It was indeed Henry Dixon Taylor, his former band manager. Where he had come from, Fred didn't know, but he was glad to see his old friend.

Henry looked down at him with a small grin. "Need any help?"

Fred nodded, and Henry grabbed one of his paws, and the mysterious cubs grabbed the other, both having to hold on, and pulled him to his feet. The cubs nearly fell on their backs from the effort of pulling him, but were saved by Henry grabbing their arms quickly. Fred brushed himself off and looked at Henry, ignoring the cubs – though he  **was**  admittedly curious about them. But, considering how much the male looked like Helen, he didn't question anything about him. The other one looked like Trixie, surprisingly. "What ya doin' here, Henry?" he asked.

The cubs looked up at Henry expectantly as the elder bear began to speak. "Well, um… You see…"

"Spit it out, Hen. I don't have all day. I have to get back to-" he glanced around at the warehouse, watching the people scurry about, "-work. At least until my shift’s over." He began walking back to his "desk", which was actually pretty much just a podium. All he did around here was stand around and try to look useful. Nothing exciting ever happened. But, since his ice cream business went up in flames because of people complaining about fur in the ice cream, it was all he was qualified to do.

Seeing Henry's hesitation, the male cub spoke. "We're having a benefit concert."

Henry finally found his voice and echoed the cub's words. "We're getting the band back together for a benefit concert and hoping you could help out."

"Get the band back together?" Fred questioned as he pulled off his cap and security belt that had his Taser, walkie-talkie, and other security equipment on the small table. He was starting to mull this thought over. It would be nice to put down the belt and pick back up his bass guitar and harmonica.

"You can do it!" the male cub encouraged. "You're Fred Bedderhead. The amazing, world famous Fred Bedderhead." Fred looked away from the podium and glanced at the cub in amusement and confusion as he went on. " **Thee**  Fred Bedderhead."

"Uh…" He glanced at Henry while putting a paw on his hip. "Who is this guy? And who is she?"

Henry grinned while glancing at the cubs. "Oh, that's Beary, and this is Jewell." He looked back at the dark-furred bear. "And he's right!"

"But how you goin' to get people to come to the show, Hen?"

"Uh…"

"Why don't ya call Rip Holland, Hen?" Beary questioned, surprising the two older bears. How on earth did this cub know of  **him**?

"Rip Holland?" Henry growled, causing the cub to wince slightly.

"Uh…" Fred began, but Henry cut him off.

"The guy who stole the band from me and ruined them?" He groaned. "Ah, call Rip… Yeah."

Beary and Jewell glanced at each other in amusement. “So, _we’re_ gonna make the flyers? Call the radio stations? Print up the tickets? Make posters?” they asked together.

"There's a pay phone over there, Hen. By the driveway," Fred said, pointing over the ex-band manager's shoulder at the large door in the warehouse wall. “I gotta go clock out. Shift’s over and I see my replacement.”

The pepper-furred bear groaned slightly. "All right. All right. You win. I'll call him."

Jewell and Beary low-fived each other's paw with a grin on both of their faces. Fred, after stepping into the main office and depositing his security belt and badge – and discovering that he wasn’t scheduled for another week – led the way to the back of the warehouse, the cubs following behind him closely. Henry followed behind them, diverting from the group as he went towards the phone, leaving Fred to watch Beary and Jewell.

The bassist and cubs glanced at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to say to one another. Fred's snout moved, making him look like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

“So, uh, who are you two again?” He looked at Beary. “You Henry’s kid? Ya look just like your mother.”

Beary blinked, confused. “Henry’s kid?”

“Uh, yeah? Henry’s married to Helen. Aren’t you his kid?”

Beary frowned. “I never knew my parents… I don’t have a family.”

“Oh, uh, my mistake.” Fred quickly turned to Jewell. “And you?”

“I’m Trixie’s daughter!” she responded eagerly.

“Trixie’s… daughter?” Fred blinked a few times, looking her over. She did indeed look like a younger version of the golden bear that had joined the band a few decades ago. Did this mean that Tennessee was the father, or was it someone else? “Huh.”

"Hey, Fred!" Roadie called from where he was working on the bus’s engine.

The Bedderhead, grateful for the distraction, excitedly greeted his old friend and went towards the bus, leaving the disappointed cubs behind.

**.~*~.**

Henry walked back to the bus with a hop in his step. Something told Fred that his call with Rip Holland went well. The bassist watched as Henry and Beary low-fived, both with wide grins on their faces.

"So, I take it Rip decided to help out?" Roadie asked, smirking.

"Yup. This Saturday night at eight, and another one the following weekend," Henry replied. “Just in time, too. Two concerts. The bank did tell me – I went around Reed’s back, see – that if I got at least half the payment in, they would postpone destruction until I can get the rest of the money within a reasonable time. I just talked to them about it, too.”

"Awesome," Beary smiled, while Jewell let out a whoop of joy.

"Well, let's get loaded up. We have a long way to go if we want to get the others on time," Roadie said, grinning at the cub's excited behavior.

As they all got into the bus, Henry spoke. "You know, Fred? You were the only one who ever wrote me. Know where any of the other boys are?"

"Zeb never gave up the honey. Hangs out in a bar in Nutville," the former bassist answered.

"Well, that's our first stop. Let’s get going. It’s clear across the state." Roadie said as he closed the bus doors. Henry sat up in his armchair while Beary, Jewell, and Fred – feeling bad about ignoring the cubs – hung out in the middle.

Beary pulled out a red binder out of his blue backpack and opened it, reading what was inside. Fred peered over the cub's shoulder, curiosity getting the better of him. Page after page, Beary turned, each one containing either an article about the _Bears_ or a collage of pictures of the bear band. "Oh… That's a nice scrapbook, Beary," he complimented.

"Thanks. I've been working on it forever with Jewell’s help, since her mother can get us pictures we otherwise couldn’t access," the cub answered, turning the next two pages, revealing a picture of Fred with a bunch of lines drawn around him. "I really like this picture," he said, looking directly at it. He then glanced up at Fred.

"You used to have a  **lot**  of fur. Got sloth in your genes?" Jewell asked.

Fred blushed under his fur as he rubbed the thinning fur on the top of his head, nodding slightly. “Mother’s side. Uh… Yeah… Well…" He quickly changed the subject and began talking about the article on the next page. "Oh, look at this one! Winnin' that talent show was our big break."

"What's an arm musician?" the cub asked, pointing a claw at the article title.

"Oh, that's Benny Boggswaggle. He was real talented."

"But he was a  **bad**  loser," Henry cut in from up ahead.

"He hit Zeb with a chair," Fred responded. “Nasty guy, and a bad temper.” He shook his head. “Reminds me of Ted, actually. What good’s family if they treat you like that? Don’t count on any family lovin’ you. Ever. Not even your own blood. Me and my brother ain’t talked in ten years. Family is good for nothin’.”

Beary’s ears lowered, and he gave Jewell his scrapbook and went to the very back and stared out the back window, his lower lip wobbling.


	6. Part Six - We Get That A Lot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing two of the dumbest cops in the world!

“Did they really just say what I think they said?” Jade asked as James got off the radio.

“Yep. They assigned Hamm and Cheets to Beary and Jewell’s runaway case. Oh, gods, have mercy on those poor Barringtons and my wife.” James shook his head. “This is going to be one hell of a disaster.”

“What were they thinking, assigning those two?” Jade questioned with a groaned. “We’ll be lucky if those cubs are ever found now. Those buffoons are going to make a mockery of the investigation! And I’m fairly certain one of them is wearing a fake mustache.”

“There’s a pool going on that,” James grinned, winking at her. “Pool’s up to $500 now.”

“Where can I join in this pool?”

“Frank is the one taking money. When we get back to the station, go see him.” The male black bear shook his head a bit, and flicked his ear. “Oh, I can’t wait for Tasha to tell me how their first day of investigating goes.”

“We should go buy some popcorn,” Jade laughed.

“That would be a good idea, actually, but tell you what. I saw a coffee and doughnut shop not too far back. What say we go and take ourselves a little break?”

“You and your doughnuts!” Jade rolled her eyes and groaned when her stomach moaned. “Doughnuts and coffee, you say? I say let’s roll, partner.”

_.~*~._

Meanwhile, back at the Barrington house, Dex groaned. His parents had just told him that two officers were on their way to get information on Beary. His father had not been too pleased on Dex’s response of ‘ _So they can put him down?_ ’, though, and while Dex thought about what he said, he realized it had come out wrong. He didn’t want Beary dead. He just wanted him out of his house and life.

“Geez, no wonder they’re always mad at me,” he muttered, turning over on his bed, fixated on the empty side of the room where Beary usually slept. “I mean, I’m glad he’s gone. They’re being ridiculous. He’s a wild animal trying to be civilized. Sure, he might be a bit more than that little brat Jewell is, but he’ll change. They always do. I mean, just the other day there was a mauling.”

Dex sat up and looked out his front window, watching somberly as a cop car pulled up to the curb, and two officers – one black and one white – got out and walked up to the front door. Maybe he could convince them to not bring back Beary? To show that he was just a wild animal?

The teenager hopped off of his bed, trudging out of his room and going downstairs to watch what he hoped were two smart officers who would tell his parents that they were crazy for having taken in a bear.

He was met with disappointment, however, when he discovered the cops were nothing but incompetent goofs that didn’t know how to properly talk to him as a young adult, but only as a child.

“Sir, Ma’ams, we are Officers Hamm and Cheets. Yes, we get that a lot,” one of them introduced. “Now then, can you please help us gather information?

Mr. Barrington was trying to console his upset wife in the living room as the two thick-mustached cops – like the kind you’d see in a movie – asked questions and took notes from things the Barringtons and Tasha said about the two missing cubs while nibbling on some of the assortment of food that Allison had brought out.

Dex took one look at the cops and their ridiculous mustaches and snickered.

 “His name is Beary,” Allison explained, sniffling.

“Beary? B-A-R-R-Y?” Officer Hamm asked, writing it down.

“No, no,” Allison began, Dex hoping the officers would catch on. After all, there was a bear in the house already! Two of them! “B-E-A-R-Y, as in the German spelling of the name.”

Dex paused, staring at his mother in shock. Was she serious? “Are you kidding me?! The _German_ spelling?!”

“Don’t you worry, young buck,” light-skinned Officer Cheets stated, speaking very slowly, as if Dex were a four-year-old. He pulled an oversized plastic badge out of the pocket of his uniform and pinned it to Dex’s shirt. “You’re an honorary deputy now!”

“Boy, the kids on the playground will be _really_ impressed,” Dex responded, rolling his eyes.

Cheets completely missed his sarcasm and returned to his seat. “Now, do the children have any distinguishing marks?”

Tasha told the officers about her niece and her noticeably golden fur – a rare sight – and green eyes, providing a picture.

“Now that’s a rare sight,” dark-skinned Hamm spoke up. “A golden black bear? Very rare.”

“Just like her mother,” Tasha smiled. “Jewell is my niece.”

“And where is her mother?”

“Looking for work. We haven’t told her yet, as we don’t need to worry her. I know Jewell has a cell phone, and when she’s ready, she will call us,” Tasha explained, though the cops did not listen.

“And the boy? Any distinguishing marks?”

“Yeah, he’s got thick, brown hair,” Dex interjected, trying to make them see sense. “All over his body!”

Norbert jumped in, shooting Dex a glare for his sarcasm. “We have a picture, if that would help?”

“Does a bear poop in the woods?” laughed Officer Hamm, proudly twirling his mustache.

Tasha growled a bit. “Now if that’s not one of the most racist things I’ve ever heard in a long time!”

Jordan looked up at his mother in confusion. “Mama? What’s racist?”

Natasha glanced down at her son, as if remembering for the first time he was there. “You’ll learn when you’re older, honey, unfortunately.” She turned to the two cops. “I have half a mind to take you off Jewell’s case and get a pair of competent officers!”

Hamm and Cheets looked at her in confusion. “Ma’am?”

“Don’t you ‘ma’am’ me! You do not say such things! So what if we may sometimes go to the bathroom in the woods? Does it give you a right to joke about it?”

Allison and Norbert frowned, feeling very awkward, and Dex just groaned.

Hamm and Cheets were aghast, wondering how this had suddenly all gone wrong.

“The point is, you just don’t joke about such things. I am sorry for getting upset, but officers of the law should know better,” the black bear finished.

“Apologies, Ma’am. We did not mean it in a bad way. Just a turn of phrase, ma’am,” Hamm responded, trying to save face.

“Apology accepted. Just remember to watch who you say things around.” She put a paw on her small belly, knowing that it was her hormones that were getting to her – normally, she would have laughed at such a thing.

Dex rolled his eyes and watched as his father brought over a picture of Beary. Surely, the cops would realize NOW that his parents were insane! Everything would be fine!

“Well, would you look at the little darling?” Officer Hamm beamed.

“Q-T-Pie!” Cheets agreed.

That was it! Dex couldn’t handle it one more second! He smashed his face with his hands and moved towards the door to the hallway. “This is such bullshit! How can you even think about bringing a new baby into this family where we have a pet frickin bear?! You know what? I’m going to my room, and staying there until I’m eighteen and can move away from this psychotic family!”

“Dexter!” Norbert called, but his voice fell on deaf ears as his son stormed up the stairs.

Tasha rolled her eyes. “If he were mine, I’d put soap in his mouth, but that’s just me.”

Allison sighed, thoroughly embarrassed by her son’s behavior, and placed a hand gently on her baby bump that would turn into a new baby in about six months. What if Dex was right about bringing the new Barrington into the home? “We will speak to him later.”

“Don’t let him boss you around. He’s young, but foolish,” Tasha reminded gently. “I was about the same when I was younger. The stories I could tell you.” She laughed a bit. “Pay him no mind right now, not when you have company, as such things should not be discussed in the presence of guests.”

Norbert and Allison nodded, and Allison looked at the two cops. “Are you going to find them?” she asked.

“Ma’am, we’ll do that and more,” Officer Cheets responded.

Hamm looked at his partner in confusion. “How are we going to do that?”

“Huh?”

“What are we going to do? Find them twice?”

“Sounds good.” Cheets snapped his notebook shut and stood up. “Let’s get mobile. First stop, _Country Bear Hall_ , as you’ve said that it is one place they might go. We’ll have to get permission from the Pendleton sheriff to go there.”

Hamm rolled his eyes, and followed his partner outside.

Tasha shook her head. “Those two... If they actually manage to do this, I will be impressed.”

_.~*~._

Reed Thimple stood in front of _Country Bear Hall_ as the sun began to set, talking to his demolition expert Mr. Slamboni, a heavyset man with a balding head. Both men wore hardhats as they viewed the soon-to-be-demolished building. It was the perfect evening to another perfect day.

Ever since he had risen to power in the bank that serviced people from Pendleton and Nashville, he had been very happy to have demolitions and foreclose on many properties. While his small board of trustees would rather pander to the locals and give them time to pay their bills, he wasn’t so forgiving, unless he made deals with them, with them ending up owing more to his bank than before, just to keep a roof over their heads. He also had very good lawyers.

His good mood was spoiled, however, when he heard the sound of hammering. Turning around, he saw that oaf, Big Al or whatever his name was, hammering a sign into the ground next to the grass. Thimple walked over to him and stood in front of the sign, reading it.

COUNTRY BEAR REUNION  
BENEFIT CONCERTS  
HELP US SAVE COUNTRY BEAR HALL  
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3RD @ 8:00pm  
&  
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10th @ 8:00pm

“What’s that?” Reed asked, giving the sign a bit of a kick.

“That there’s a sign,” the big bear responded.

“I’m aware of that! What does it mean, though? REUNION? BENEFIT CONCERT?” Thimple glared at him. Henry wasn’t seriously thinking about doing what he thought he was doing, was he?

Big Al cleared his throat and spoke slowly. “Well, now, _reunion_ means to rejoin or to remerge that which has been asunder and is now made whole again.”

Reed stomped his foot. Henry could not be serious! Two concerts? Is that what his stupid secretary was on about this afternoon, saying that a demolition would be put on hold pending half the payment?! Damn it all! And they had approved this?! Going behind his back? Someone was going to get fired for this!

‘ _Calm yourself. There will be a way around this. There’s no way Henry will get them back together. This is a fool’s errand, and he’s the biggest fool I’ve ever seen, putting the_ Hall _up for collateral on that loan he got seven or so years ago. Idiot. Should have just let his wife die in that car crash, rather than keep her on life support for so many years._ ’ Reed quickly compiled himself and straightened his tie.

“Where’s Henry?” the annoyed banker barked.

“In the bus, picking up the band,” the bear responded.

Reed’s blood started to boil. So it was true! No way was he going to let this happen! If they managed to raise the first half of the money, his stupid idiotic board of trustees had already granted Henry a postponement until he could get the rest! No one was going to ruin his demolition! Especially not those stupid bears! “You mean—he’s not actually _serious_?”

“Oh, yeah,” Big Al grinned. “Talked to him earlier today. Said he even got Rip Holland to promote it.”

“Rip Holland? Really...?” Gears began to turn in Reed’s mind. Rip Holland was a man in need of money. Henry probably roped him in with the promise of cash or promoting the band again. Well then, Reed would just have to offer him a bigger sum to not promote the shows. After all, those _Bears_ ruined Rip’s career, too, when they left him and went back to Henry. Why would Rip do _anything_ to help up that bear? At least Rip didn’t know that it was Reed’s knowingly bad advice that had caused so much trouble with the band.

“You bet. Henry said we’re going to have them concerts and raise those twenty thousand dollars so we can tell that little weasel banker—” Big Al stopped talking and covered his mouth. “Oops.”

“Tell that weasel what?” Thimple demanded.

Big Al knew he had to change the subject quickly. “Oh, look! Over yonder! A monkey!”

Thimple, stupidly, turned to look for this monkey – for all he knew they actually _had_ one; after all, they had a small wolf pack on the premises – and when he looked back after not finding it, he found Big Al shuffling away.

“Trying to run away?!” he shouted.

“Tryin’!” Big Al responded without looking back. “I may be chubby, but I’m quick!”

Reed groaned and rubbed his temples. If he was any angrier, he’d snap his posh bear-head cane in half and break something. As it was, he had to keep his temper in check.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialed a number from long ago. If he could break up the band last time, then maybe he could convince Rip to listen to him again.

“ _Rip Holland speaking_.”

“Rip? Greetings... It’s me, Reed Thimple. I heard that you are going to promote a couple benefit concerts for those stupid bears. Let’s meet up at a coffeehouse in Nashville and discuss a few things. A new offering, if you will.”


	7. Part Seven - Fetchin' the Fiddler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never ever take a cub to a bar.

“Nutville?” Jewell asked, munching on a little snack that Fred had given her, while Beary nibbled on his own food. “Bar?” They had just woken up from an hour-long nap, to find that night was starting to fall.

Beary looked at Henry uncertainly. “How are me and Jewell supposed to go into a bar?”

“It’s not a full bar. More of a bar restaurant. Pub, I suppose. You two will be allowed in with us, uh, posing as your legal guardians,” Henry explained. “And this works out, actually, considering you two need to eat.”

“You need to eat, too, Mr. Henry,” Jewell began.

“No, no. Call me Henry, kids. I prefer that.”

Jewell nodded and apologized. “But you do need to eat, too. As does Fred and Roadie. Don’t just feed us.”

Henry chuckled a little. “Us adults can handle an empty stomach. You two are still young, and, Jewell, your mother would bite my ear off if I didn’t feed you.”

Beary laughed at that. “I can’t have any nuts, though. I’m allergic.” He reached into his backpack, where he had an epi-pen. “See?” He then pulled back his hoodie, revealing the medical alert bracelet.

‘ _Maybe he actually is my kid,_ ’ Henry thought to himself, amused. ‘ _Little Beary had just the same kind of allergies._ ’ Out loud, he spoke. “Thank you for informing me of this, Beary. I will make sure you do not get any sort of nuts.”

“Thanks.” Beary smiled a little. “Hey, Henry, where are we staying tonight?”

“Uh, well... We don’t exactly have money for a motel, so we’ll probably sleep on the bus in a rest stop tonight. You and Jewell can sleep in the back. More room for you back there.”

“What about you guys?” Jewell questioned, confused. “Where will you sleep if we’re back there?” She hadn’t thought about the prospect of sleeping among strangers that night.

“Well, uh...” Henry frowned before glancing at Roadie. “Hey, you have that old camping gear?”

“No, sorry. That’s back in the shed. The benches are big enough for you guys, though. Well...” Roadie glanced in the rearview mirror at them in confusion. “Well, Fred might not.”

Fred rolled his eyes and looked at his big belly. “Yeah, well, I’ll make it work. Did before.”

“You were a hundred pounds lighter, Fred,” Henry commented.

“Yeah, you got that right. I’ll figure it out.” Fred glanced over at the cubs in amusement. “Ha, you two could use me as a mattress, if you wanted.”

Neither cub wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

Henry groaned. “Fred, I highly doubt that is very appropriate to say.”

“It was an idea!” Fred said innocently.

Henry shook his head. “Wait, kids, did you even bring blankets?”

Beary and Jewell shook their heads. “Just clothes, mainly, sir,” Beary responded, truthfully.

“Hm... well, nights get cold... so maybe sleeping next to Fred’s not such a bad idea. Keep you warm, at least. Ultimately, it’s up to the two of you. We won’t force anything on you.” Henry gave them a warm smile, and both Fred and Roadie nodded in agreement.

“Well... Can we decide after eating?” Beary asked meekly.

“Yeah, can we get some food soon?” Jewell begged. “Otherwise I’m going to have to eat Beary!”

Beary looked highly offended. “You can’t eat me! I’m your best friend!”

“True. What would I do without you? Eh, I suppose I could just settle for eating Dex.”

Beary snorted. “Shush.”

Roadie grinned. “Found the bar!” He turned the wheel, and they drove into the parking lot.

Jewell let out an exited cheer. “Finally!”

Henry smiled a little, but frowned again, not sure how they’d pay for the meal when they could barely afford gas. Heck, Fred had been forced to pay for their last gas stop – and thankfully had been able to top up the tank while he was at it. Henry felt incredibly guilty at not being able to pay for anything, but Fred had told him not to worry about it. Would Fred pay for the meal, too?

“Hen, I’ll pay for the meal, okay? I have enough money, and I could go without my usual spread,” Fred spoke up, smiling at the older bear. “Don’t worry about it. My treat. All of you combined would be about my usual bill, anyway.” He laughed a bit.

“Fred, I...”

“Hey, I get it. You told me about in your letters. I’m sorry I haven’t visited. I just didn’t want see her in that way. Rather remember her the way she was, you know?” Fred gently squeezed his friend’s shoulder.

A smile crossed Henry’s face as he fought back his tears. “Thank you, Fred.”

Beary glanced at Jewell curiously. Who were they talking about? Who was this ‘she’? Why did Henry seem so happy, yet sad? Neither wanted to ask, afraid to pry.

“Ever find your kid?”

Henry hesitated before shaking his head. “Police gave up a long time ago.” He glanced over at Beary for a brief moment, before returning his gaze out the front of the window as Roadie found a parking spot for the large bus.

Beary frowned. Henry had a kid? Then maybe the ‘she’ they’d been talking about was his wife! “I didn’t know you were married.”

“Were? I’m _still_ married. Have been for about thirty years now,” Henry responded shortly, standing up as the engine was shut off. “My wife, Helen, never liked the spotlight very much. Camera shy. Wait, no, that’s not it. She, well... She didn’t like the press talking about her. Some of them were a bit mean. She sang with the band a few times, even wrote a few of their songs.” Henry laughed a bit. “She’s a good soul.”

Jewell blinked. “What happened to her?”

Henry’s laughter died, and his ears lowered. “She, uh, was out driving one night, trying to sooth our little boy to sleep out on a country road, and... There was a drunk driver, and...” He shook his head. “I’m... I’m still fixing our car.” He thought back to earlier that morning, before Reed had shown up when he was fixing the tours sign. He had been working on his pale yellow 1948 Willys Jeepster, trying to fix it.

It had been almost completely totaled after the crash, but he’d hauled it back to the _Hall_ in the hopes of fixing it. He’d gotten quite a bit done in the seven years since the accident, but parts had been hard to come by, not to mention expensive. If it hadn’t been for parts that he’d already had for repairs, he would’ve never gotten the car back into the shape it was now. Yet, the engine still wouldn’t turnover. It was as if the car was as dormant as his wife.

Beary stood up and walked over to him. “Hey, it’ll be okay. Is she still alive?”

The pepper bear nodded.

“She’ll pull through! She’s lasted this long, hasn’t she?”

He again nodded, a faint smile reappearing on his face. “Yeah, she has. You’re right. Thanks, kiddo.”

Beary grinned, happy to have done a good deed.

Jewell smiled and walked over as well. “Not to change the subject, but... Are we just going to sit in the bus all day or are we going to actually go inside?”

_.~*The Country Bears*~._

His back itched. _Really_ bad.

Zeb Zoober, former fiddler to one of the greatest bands in the world, reached into his white vest pocket, but found no coins, as usual. _'Darn_ ,' he mentally cursed. Walking over to the bar counter, he called, "Set me up, Cha-Cha!"

The black woman known as "Cha-Cha" scowled at him from the opposite end of the counter, where she was talking to what looked like a family group. Another bartender brought the bear a quarter, which he took gratefully. Humming, the auburn bear went over to the _Bark–O–Scratcher_ , which was basically a log that was attached to some kind of mechanical device in the wall that — when a quarter was inserted into the coin slot — would begin moving up and down, thus scratching one’s back.

Still humming, he placed the quarter in the coin slot. The log immediately began to move. Turning, he leaned back against the log, moaning with pleasure as the log scratched the itch on his back. "Oh, yeah..." he muttered, his voice shaky. He closed his eyes. This was the life. Endless drinks, a roof over his head, sometimes bussing tables when he wasn’t too drunk to pay off his debt...

"Hey there, Zeb."

The familiar voice startled the former fiddler. Raising his paws to his hat, he lifted the large brim from over his eyes, which then widened at the sight before him. "Henry? Fred? Is that you?" He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face when he saw Henry. He had really missed him. After all, Henry had given him a home back when he was ten after the band formed. After the talent show, Henry had talked to him and invited him into his home.

The bears and human in front were indeed Henry Taylor, Fred Bedderhead, and Roadie. He didn't recognize the cubs, though. So he basically ignored them.

Zeb stepped away from the _Bark–O–Scratcher_ before his time was up. He regretted it immediately as the itch in his back flared up again. But because of his shock of seeing his friends again, he managed to ignore the burning itch. "Am I seein' things?" he wondered aloud as he approached the group.

"No, you aren't. We're really here, Zeb," Henry chuckled, a smile on his face. “Been a long time, son.”

Just to be sure, Zeb walked closer to them and poked the elder bear in the arm, briefly hearing the mysterious cubs giggle. Satisfied that the elder bear, at least, was real, he proceeded to do the same to "Fred" and "Roadie". The mysterious cubs' giggling grew louder. Slightly annoyed, Zeb glanced in their direction once he was satisfied that "Fred" and "Roadie" were indeed real. He finally took the time to examine the cubs.

A brief flicker of recognition registered in his brain as he looked at the male. ' _It's a male Helen..._ ' he thought in amusement. ' _Looks like Henry had another one. If I remember right, Helen_ was _pregnant when the band broke up._ ' He glanced between Henry and the cub—both of them looking at him in confusion and, for a brief instant, he saw a look of sadness in Henry's eyes—and saw the similarities. Mainly the eyes. They looked exactly alike. Wait. No. The cub's eyes were filled with childish innocence; Henry's was filled with something he couldn't comprehend. Something he’d never seen before. True sorrow? Loneliness?

He then looked over at the golden cub. “Wait. Trixie? Did you shrink or something?”

Jewell started laughing. “No, she just gave birth to a completely fabulous little cub named Jewell, and that’s me!”

“Oh. Huh.” Shaking his head, he looked at the entire group. "Well, what are y'all doin' here?" he asked.

Henry, Fred, Roadie, and the cubs glanced at each other. "Uh, why don't we sit down," Henry suggested, pointing towards an empty table near the front of the bar. “For one, these two need to eat.”

Zeb shrugged and led the way to a table. As they all sat — the cubs between Fred and Zeb — the honeyaholic asked again about what they were all doing there.

"Well, we're going to have a reunion benefit concert," Henry said bluntly. "Fred's already agreed to help. Big Al's getting the place ready. Besides, what do you have here?"

Zeb opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it as he thought about the question. What did he have here? He had his honey, but not his family, whom his missed dearly. Not that he’d admit it, of course.

Henry took the opportunity to go on. "Now come on, Zeb. What do you say? Give up the honey and come with us."

Zeb sighed and looked around at them all as he spoke. "Guys, even if I wanted to leave town, I couldn't! I owe Cha-Cha over there," he pointed over his shoulder at the bar counter, "a lot of money." Sure, he was just using this as an excuse to not leave the bar with the honey and Cha-Cha, but really? Why would anyone want him back? He was just a nuisance. “I’ve been trying to pay it back, but just keep getting myself further in debt.”

There was silence for a moment as Henry tried to figure out what to say to convince the former fiddler to come with them. “Don’t you want to come home?”

Before Zeb had a chance to answer, Fred spoke up. "I'm hungry. Wanna split an order of salmon fingers?" he asked, glancing at the group around the table.

"Oh, Fred..." Henry signed in annoyance.

"How 'bout twigs an' berries?"

Henry just groaned. “Why don’t you look at the menu, Beary and Jewell, and try to find something you’d like to eat.”

The cubs nodded, picking up a menu to share. Suddenly, after reading for a bit, Beary let out a gasp before getting up and leaving the table, much to the surprise of the seated bears and human.

"Hey," Zeb exclaimed watching the cub go up to the counter. He looked back at Henry, with confusion in his eyes. "What's that boy doin'?"

Henry sighed in exasperation. Rolling his eyes, he muttered in an annoyed tone, "I don't know... He just goes and does his own thing."

Jewell laughed. “That’s my best friend for you.”

They all looked back at the cub as he shook the bartender's hand. They then looked at each other in confusion.

A few moments later, the cub returned. Without sitting, he looked at Zeb and said, "You're Zeb Zoober."

Zeb was both startled and amused. "Yeah, well I... That may be true... But I..." He glanced at the others in confusion. "Who is this guy?"

Henry softly grinned. "Well, that's Beary."

Zeb noticed an immediate change in the elder bear's eyes. He was about to comment on it when Cha-Cha's voice interrupted him.

"Uh, ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention for a minute?" the slightly plump, black woman asked from onstage.

All eyes in the bar turned to look at her in surprise and confusion.

Now that she had everyone's attention, Cha-Cha went on. "Now, as most of you know, Zeb Zoober owes me a whole heap of money."

"Mmhmm," Henry agreed. He would have helped pay back that money, but he himself was in debt.

Cha-Cha looked directly at the table the group was sitting at. "Well, his little friend there has proposed a wager." She grinned. "My house band verses Zeb's fiddle in a little musical duel."

Zeb's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Now, if he wins, he owes me nothin'. But if he loses," she paused for dramatic effect, "I get to keep the _Country Bear_ tour bus."

Henry's eyes widened. "What?" His surprise was echoed by many people in the bar.

"This should be good," Cha-Cha finished with a chuckle as she walked off the stage. She knew her house band was going to win. No doubt about it in her mind.

Standing, Henry turned to Beary with rage-filled eyes. Beary flinched under the smoldering gaze. "Son, that bus is our only means of transportation!" the bear practically yelled.

Roadie decided to get a word in. "Not to mention that's where I raised my kids till the wife took them in the divorce. Still got to see them on the weekends. Youngest is in high school, and she’s shown interest in moving to Nashville to be closer and to attend college there."

Jewell frowned. “Don’t be mean.”

Zeb finally spoke. "Plus, I don't think you've all seen the house band." He gestured towards the stage where a group of people of people began setting up various instruments. The drinker looked back at the group around the table. "I don't know about this," he mumbled. "I don't even know where my fiddle is!"

"It's in the bus," Roadie commented. "I'll go get it." He quickly got up and left.

"C'mon, Zeb. I know ya can do it," Fred encouraged.

"It looks like you're our only hope at keeping the bus. There's no way we can back out of the wager and keep the bus," Henry said, still glaring at Beary, who now stared at the table with his ears laid back. Zeb knew that look all too well. He was trying to make himself small and hidden.

Zeb felt back for the kid. He knew he was only trying to help. He sighed. "Like I said, y'all haven't seen the house band. They're good. They're real good." The truth was, he was scared. He hadn't played his fiddle in ten years! Who knows if he could still play? With the luck he's been having, he was gonna lose. "I don't think I-"

A small voice spoke. "I believe in you."

The auburn bear looked at Beary in surprise and saw nothing but pure childish innocence in his hazel eyes. ' _I can't let a kid down. Especially one with those eyes. They're just too innocent_ ,' he thought. Out loud, he said, "I still think this is a bad idea." He looked into the cub's eyes again and his feelings resolved. "But I'll do it." With that, he stood, took his fiddle from Roadie — who had just arrived — then walked up the stage.

As the lead singer began to strum the electric guitar, Zeb couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should just back out. But this guy, the head of the band, was making fun of him. Time to return the favor.

His fiddle began to screech as he attempted to play it for the first time in almost ten years. He winced as the harsh screeching reached his ears. In fact, everyone in the bar winced as well.

It was over.

Zeb looked at the crowd with failure in his eyes.

It was then that he heard a cheer amongst the crowd. Surprised, he looked out and saw Beary and Jewell cheering him on even though so many were booing the fiddler. _'Why are they cheering me on? I failed. Don't they know that?_ ' he wondered in confusion. Still, the cubs continued to cheer him on. Something changed within the thirty-six-year-old. He knew he could do it.

Zeb took a deep breath and began to sing, "Woah, now hold on just a minute! Hold that jive! Cause I can feel this fiddle 'bout to come alive!" Just like he said it would, his fiddle did come "alive". For the first time in ten years, he felt good. The cheering crowd egged him on. "That felt so good!"

After that, the real musical duel truly began. They were shoving each other, jamming out, trying to out-play the opposing force while the crowd cheered them on. Finally, the lead singer backed down when the notes became too high for his ears.

Zeb raised his arms, knowing he had won.

"Go Zeb!" Henry shouted.

"Yeah, go Zeb!" Beary and Jewell shouted, echoed by many of the people in the bar.

Zeb fell over, though, much to the surprise and amusement of the others. Fred and Henry went to pick him up, while Roadie, Beary, and Jewell placed their orders for their meals.


	8. Part Eight - Crybaby Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some bears are just too sensitive

Beary yawned and stretched as he woke from his nightly rest. He sniffed the air a bit, expecting to find Jewell beside him, but to his surprise, he opened his eyes and found that he was curled up next to a sleeping Henry. Startled a bit, he sat up, confused. How’d he get up to the front of the bus with him? Maybe he was sleepwalking. Henry wasn’t even on a bench, but was laying on the floor, just like Fred and Jewell were in the back of the bus with Zeb nestled in beside the large bear.

Beary slowly pulled away from the older bear and stood up. He had to go to the bathroom. Maybe get changed, too. He looked over at the rest stop building, and tiptoed over to grab his backpack. He pulled out a fresh shirt and pair of shorts, and walked to the front of the bus, where the door was already open because Roadie was out walking his chicken.

Jewell noticed him leaving and got up to follow him, grabbing her own fresh clothes out of her backpack. She was careful not to wake anyone else, and wondered when they would wake. She could hear Zeb snoring loudly on the other side of Fred, and silently laughed at the picture. As quick as she could, she ventured out into the cool morning breeze.

“Hi, Roadie!” she called when she was a good distance from the bus.

“Morning, Jewell,” the hippie responded with a smile, and continued to walk his chicken on the leash. “Beary went inside already!”

“Thanks!” Jewell hurried on inside, following her nose for Beary’s scent. Realizing that he’d gone into the large family bathroom, she grinned and yanked open the door he forgot to lock. The shriek she received caused her to double over in laughter as he hurriedly turned around, covering himself.

“JEWELL!”

“What? Oh, come on, you walking around naked is no different than Henry without pants. Why are you so whiny about it? Just get changed!” She grinned and began to pull of her shirt. “Unlike humans, we don’t have to hide our bodies under clothes. You and me choose to. I chose to cover myself like you do because you dress like a human and I didn’t want you to feel left out. Actually, I look pretty good all dressed up like this anyway.”

“But what about the toilet?!”

Jewell rolled her eyes and pointed to the other toilet on the other side of a small wall. “There’s on right there for me to use. It’s no different than using a public one, Beary.”

His ears flattened, and he turned his head away from her, his face turning hot with embarrassment. “Jewell...”

“Beary, I won’t look at you if you don’t look at me, okay? I’m sorry for barging in on you, but you did forget to lock the door, as you tend to. I didn’t want to go into the women’s restrooms alone, okay? Not at a rest stop. It’s one reason why Mama won’t take me with her anymore.” Her ears lowered, and she sighed softly.

Beary frowned, listening. “What happened?”

“Some people were talking weird to me. They wanted to touch my fur, because they didn’t think it was real. They wouldn’t leave me alone, even when I was on the toilet. They had little cameras under the stalls. I’d never seen Mama so angry before... She broke their cameras and chased them away.”

Beary finished pulling on his clothes and went over to her. She hadn’t even finished putting on her shirt, and just stood there, staring at the wall. “Jewell... Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Why should I have? It was before I even met you, but I still remember it. It was... Mama let me go with her another time, but she always accompanied me to the restrooms if they were multiple stalls. As I got older, people kept coming closer, and one grabbed me and tried to take me away. Finally, Mama said that I shouldn’t go with her anymore, so I stopped.” She sighed. “Being the daughter of a well-known musician isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, ya know. Once I started living with Aunt Tasha and Uncle James permanently, the, uh, paparazzi seemed to go away.”

She shook her head and bent over to grab her new shirt, which had fallen to the floor, and pulled it over her head.

Beary frowned. “Tell you what: I’ll wait over here with my ears plugged and eyes closed while you go to the bathroom, since I already went before you came in, okay? I won’t leave you alone.”

Jewell turned around and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you.” She kissed his cheek and disappeared behind the wall. Beary took the quick opportunity to pull on a fresh green shirt and gray shorts. He covered his ears and closed his eyes until Jewell had come over and gently tapped his nose, letting him open his eyes in time to see her lick his nose. “Gah! That tickles!”

Jewell laughed and washed her paws and went to stand by the door, drying them, while he washed and did the same. Gathering up their old clothes, they left out of the door to where Roadie was and set their clothes down in the grass, feeling the sun on their fur.

One by one, the bears on the bus finally came off the bus and went inside to use the bathroom. By the time they came back out, Jewell had tackled Beary to the ground and they were romping in the grass, laughing and playfully growling at each other.

Henry cocked his head to the side, amused to see them like this. Fred laughed and scratched his belly, thinking back to when they were all younger and would get into wrestling matches. Zeb, however, groaned. Hangovers sucked. “Those two romping around remind me of this chick and I in bed one night. Boy, that was such fun. Panda, too. Silver panda. A real beauty. Mmm. Quite the wild animal in bed.”

Henry and Fred looked at the auburn bear in shock. “You had a one-night stand?” Fred asked, surprised.

“Yeah, well, whatever. We happened to meet one day in a bar down in Nashville, shortly after I ran into Tennessee. Actually, he was with me when I met that pretty little thang with her perfect curves and beautiful voice. I ditched him and found a motel with her.”

Henry groaned. “Zeb, you were raised better than that. Tell me you at least know her name!”

“Uh, Mang... No, Méngméng. Yeah, that’s it. Hell if I remember her last name, though, even though... well, never you mind that. She was a Chinese-American, just like I’m a Scottish-American. Heh. Her cute little bu-”

“Enough!” Henry roared, glancing back at the two cubs who were staring at Zeb in confusion and curiosity. “There are children here, Zoober! It’s not like it was with the band, where you could just talk about such things! Especially _that_!”

Zeb had the decency to at least look bashful and embarrassed. “Sorry, Henry. I guess I kinda forgot they was even here. Anyway, we dated for a couple months before she started getting moody and demanding. She got mad at me for being in bars all the time. I did okay for a while, though. Didn’t go to any bars, but then her moodiness set in, and I didn’t like it, so I’d go drown it out, ya know? We actually did get married, and things were good for a while, and I’d play with our son, but my trips to the bar became more frequent, and then she just... left. I just kinda, well, now I know how Tennessee felt when Trix left, but I’m not as psycho as him. Anyway, that was about eight or so years ago. Kinda wish it had just been a one-night stand, but at the same time, I miss her, ya know? Her and my boy. Wish I had been a better mate and father.”

“What’s a one-night stand?” Jewell asked.

“Silly, it’s a single night stand! Zeb’s saying he went with some lady to get a night stand!” Beary responded brightly, causing the adults to breath sighs of relief while shooting Zeb dark looks.

Henry shook his head and looked at the fiddler, in a hurry to change the subject. “Now then, you said you saw Tennessee a few years ago? Where?”

“Nashville,” Zeb responded.

“How’s he doin’?”

“He’s still the same heartbroke, mixed-up, psycho, basket-case crybaby.”

“What’s he up to?”

“He’s a marriage counselor.”

Henry’s eyes widened in disbelief.

.~*~.

Inside a cozy office sat a married human couple. They were next to each other on the couch, separated by a box of tissues.

“And sometimes I’d appreciate it if he’d do the dishes. He just sits there and expects me to take care of it. But I’m tired. I’ve been with the baby all day!” the female wailed.

“And you?” the thick, cinnamon colored black bear with wavy hair asked, looking over at her husband. On his desk was a name plaque that read “Tennessee O’Neal” and had his credentials. Along his back wall were all his certificates. Also on his desk was a picture of his lost love. He had traded in his old leather vest for a too-tacky-to-describe cardigan.

“I work all day,” the husband complained. “I come home and want to relax. Is that really too much to ask? I mean, what do you think?”

“What do _I_ think?” Tennessee questioned, paws folded in front of him as the couple stared at him for an answer. “I think you two are so gosh dang lucky to have each other. You may fight about the dishes, but at the end of the day, at least...” The pool of tears began falling from his big brown eyes. “At least you’re gonna be together! At least your life isn’t hollow and empty and filled with despair and longing! Oh, my, the longing for the only one in the world that can make ya happy. You have _each other_. At least you haven’t thrown that away! I was a _Country Bear_ and I even threw that away. Why don’tcha hang me upside down and hit me with a stick till the candy comes out?!”

Tennessee buried his head in his arms and cried like a baby. Tears soaked the swirl of highlighted hair that hung over his eyes. When he couldn’t control the sobs any longer, he swiveled his chair away from his clients so they wouldn’t have to see such pain.

The husband and wife glanced at each other.

“I feel better,” she said.

“Yeah,” her husband agreed. Together, they walked out the door, never to return again. In his own unconventional way, Tennessee O’Neal was a very successful therapist.

"Oh, Trixie..." he bawled, sounding once again like a big baby. He missed her so much… They had been together for so long. Okay, it was only three years, but to him, that was a lifetime.

There was a knock at the door.

"Ah, come in..." he softly called, his voice tinged with sadness as he tried to stop the flow of tears.

The door clicked open.

Slowly, he turned around and his jaw dropped as his eyes widened in disbelief. Standing in front of him were three bears he thought he would never see again: Fred, Henry, and Zeb. There were two cubs with them, but he didn't really pay attention to them.

"Don't tell me you're gettin' the band back together!"

Henry grinned and looked at the others with him before looking back at the marriage counselor. "Tennessee, we're getting the band back together."

The sweater-clad brown bear didn't say anything for several minutes and just stared at the assembled group in front of him, his eyes bubbling over with tears. There was an awkward silence in the air.

Beary looked at the other adults and frowned. "Uh..."

Jewell, however, was bustling with nervousness as she looked at the bear she hoped might be her father. Was it really him? Why was he such a crybaby? It wasn’t how she had thought him to be at all! She thought he’d be a macho bear, not some wimp! Disappointment began to fill her as she sighed.

Beary glanced over at her and took her paw in his own, squeezing.

Tennessee frowned, trying to think of what to say. "When did you... Where..."

Zeb chuckled. "Lost for words, Ten?"

The former thang player glared at him. "Don't you have some honey to drink?"

The auburn bear growled at him.

"Let's not start," Henry suggested, clearly annoyed.

Tennessee rested his elbow on his desk and placed his head against his paw, wiping his eyes really quick. "Seriously, what are you guys doin' here?"

Fred blinked. "Uh, Gettin' the band back together."

The marriage counselor blinked and frowned. "Uh-huh." He didn't believe them at all. Mainly because of the improbability of it all. The _Bears_? Back together? As if.

"It's true, Mr. O'Neal," Beary said, taking a small step forward. "We're getting the band back together. So, if you would please come with us, we can be a band again!"

Tennessee looked at the cub and his eyes widened slightly. Standing before him was a male Helen Taylor. _'No, wait... This cub had hazel eyes, not forest green_.' The cub's eyes were wide and full of childish curiosity; they sparkled with innocence and wonder. His face, framed by light brown fur, was almost pure white with only a few hints of light brown. He wore a light gray jacket, green t-shirt, and gray cargo shorts.

He glanced at Henry and couldn't help but smile slightly. _'So this is the cub Helen was pregnant with ten years ago. Well, he certainly has her looks, but has Henry's eyes. Good for you, Hen. You did have a third cub. And from the way he talks, I'd say you did a damn good job raising him._ ' His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the sorrowful look in the elder bear's eyes. Something was off. Where was Helen?

Henry looked away and glanced at the cub, who had since moved to the front of the desk and was now looking at the wall behind the brown bear with semi-wide eyes, Jewell moving up to stand next to her friend.

Tennessee stared at the golden cub for a moment, shocked. Green eyes, golden fur, and beauty. It couldn’t be, could it? If she was Trixie’s daughter, then he wasn’t the father. Couldn’t be. One night together would not have ended in pregnancy, right? Trixie would have written to him about her!

The counselor turned his head and looked at the wall behind him, studying the four certificates of achievement and diplomas that stated that he was legally certified to practice counseling. He glanced back at the cub and grinned slightly at the look of awe on the young bears’ face. "So, kids, What's your names?" he asked.

The cubs jumped slightly and looked at him in surprise. "Uh, B-Beary," he answered, suddenly looking nervous.

Tennessee frowned slightly and he glanced at Henry, who was now avoiding his gaze. ' _Beary? What kind of name is that for a bear?_ ' he wondered. ‘ _That’s just stupid._ ’

“Jewell St. Claire,” Jewell responded with a grin. “Trixie’s my mother.”

Tennessee started bawling again, causing Jewell to back away with her ears flat.

Henry sighed. “Fred, Zeb, could you take them outside for a bit?”

Fred's stomach growled just then, causing almost everyone to chuckle. Everyone, that is, but the crybaby.

"I'm hungry," the dark brown bear stated as his stomach growled again, only this time, it was joined by both cubs.

Beary immediately looked embarrassed and shuffled his feet as he stared at the floor. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Henry put a paw on his shoulder and chuckled. "I think we're all hungry, kiddo." He looked at Tennessee. "Well, this is your neck of the woods. Where's the best place to eat lunch?" He hoped that maybe that would stop Tennessee from crying so much.

"Well..." The brown bear checked his clock and sniffled, wiping his nose on a bear-sized tissue and dabbed his eyes. "It _is_ my lunch break. We'll have to continue our "talk" over some of the best darn food on this side of the state of Tennessee at ol’ Swinburne’s diner."

Beary and Jewell’s grins couldn't have gotten any bigger.


	9. Part Nine - Diner Dash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like food to give you a sense of total drama

“Tell me, Zeb, what became of that panda you were with, huh?” Tennessee asked. He had a bitterness towards pandas, under the impression that his Trixie had run off with one.

While Zeb related the story, Beary and Jewell found them all a nice half-moon booth at the diner to sit at, and were already looking at the menus and drooling. Henry and Fred joined them, sitting on either side, and Zeb and Tennessee took the outer sides.

Tennessee sighed and shook his head, before looking at Henry. “How can you say we’re getting the band back together? Are you insane? Sorry, boys, but I just can’t play the thang. Not without Trixie there. No Trixie, no thang. She’s probably off with some panda or something. How’d you even get ahold of her daughter? Why isn’t she with her parents?”

Jewell shrank back a bit. “I, uhm... I don’t... I don’t know who my father is. Mama never told me,” she explained meekly. “And the only panda she’s been around is her manager.”

Tennessee blinked, startled by this information. No father? Trixie wasn’t like that! Was it possible that _he_ was the father?! He glanced over at Beary. “And you? Who are your parents? Henry and Helen, right?”

Beary’s ears lowered. Why did everyone think he was Henry’s son? “I... My... My birth parents abandoned me in the woods when I was little.” The more he thought about it, the more he could remember something like a big fall, crying for his mother, fear, terror, and running free. He even thought he remembered the night he’d had the tracking collar put on him. “I... I was taken in by some humans. I...” He closed his eyes and lifted the menu up to hide his face.

Tennessee was too shocked to cry, Zeb muttered something about such sad news being given too early in the day, and Fred blubbered a little. Nothing was compared to Henry’s expression of utter sorrow and loss. If Beary really was his lost son, how would he ever explain what happened to him? Maybe, when this whole shebang was sorted out, he could figure out what to do. Yeah.

“I’ve heard of parents abandoning cubs, but to leave them in the woods!” Tennessee exclaimed. “That’s just cruel. Kid, I’m sorry for asking.”

Jewell frowned. “You don’t know that you were abandoned for sure, though, Beary. The Barringtons took you in because they found you alone in the woods, as I’ve told you before. Dex was just being a jerk.” She leaned forward and gently nuzzled him, licking his snout.

Zeb, however, frowned. “Okay, what’s up with you two? You dating or something?”

“What? No!” Jewell laughed. “He’s my best friend and as close to me as a brother. I’m allowed to show affection, am I not?”

“Well, I guess. It’s just odd, that’s all. Usually you only see couples do things like that. I mean, you don’t see me going over and biting Fred’s ear all friendly like.”

Jewell frowned, ears lowering slightly. “It’s odd?”

“Yeah, totally.”

“Oh...” She shifted over from Beary, who let out a soft whine and threw a spoon at Zeb’s head, hitting right between the eyes.

“Ow! Hey!”

Henry groaned. “Surrounded by cubs, that’s what this is. Bunch of cubs.”

“Regardless... I can’t play. The music’s gone, boys and girl,” Tennessee went on.

Beary slowly put down his menu and looked at him. “But we need everybody to pull this off, the whole band,” he pleaded. “You can do it. You’re Tennessee O’Neal, the world’s best thang player.”

“Kid, he’s the _only_ thang player. What he’s the world’s best at is being a crybaby,” Zeb snorted.

“But!”

Tennessee grabbed his scruffy ears and shook his head as if it were full of bees. “No, no, no. I told ya. No Trixie, no thang.”

“Why’d she break up with you?” Jewell asked finally, resting her chin on her paws. She was curious about her mother’s past. Trixie never really spoke of Tennessee, though Jewell had heard her crying one night in a hotel room and peered over at her bed to find her holding a picture of Tennessee against her chest.

“Was it that sweater you’re wearing?” Zeb asked, stifling a laugh.

“Huh?” Tennessee asked blankly. “I dunno. She up and left me. Said she wanted to strike out on her own. Met a panda who gave her a recording contract.”

Henry raised an eyebrow, looking at him in surprise. As far as he’d been aware, Trixie St. Claire had a contract through Taylor Enterprises, along with a singing alias of Bonnie Riatt. She did have a panda manager, though. What was Tennessee on about?

“What’s with the pandas? They get everything,” Fred commented, shaking his head and looking at the menu.

“And they break your heart,” Zeb muttered with a shake of his head.

Tennessee sighed. “I just want to know why I wasn’t good enough for her.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t the sweater?” Zeb asked, this time laughing hysterically at the extremely colorful sweater his old friend was wearing.

“If I knew where she was, oh, boy, I’d be there in a second,” Tennessee went on, ignoring Zeb’s childish behavior.

Jewell reached into her pocket, fingering the cellphone she had. Should she turn it on and text her mother, asking where she was?

Beary glanced at her curiously and smiled. He leaned over and whispered into her ear. “Go for it. Maybe tell your aunt that you’re getting the band back together while you’re at it.”

“After food, Beary,” she replied softly, returning her attention to the speaking bears.

“But look, even if I _could_ play, who’d come? Nobody cares about _The Country Bears_ anymore! Nobody even knows who we are! They’re all obsessed with young boybands!” Tennessee shook his head sadly.

Just then, two waitresses collided with one another, spilling a tray of food on the table and the other spilling not quite hot coffee down Tennessee’s front. One was a pretty blond with gently tanned skin, and the other a female peach colored sloth bear with a pink nose.

“Oh, my gods! Sir, I’m so, so sorry!” the she-sloth cried, grabbing a wrapped up silverware’s napkin – and sending the silverware crashing to the table with a loud clatter – and pressed the cloth napkin against his vest, trying to blotch out the horrendous coffee stains.

Tennessee was too shocked to respond to what just happened, and Zeb just roared with laughter.

“Even she thinks your sweater’s ugly!” he cried, holding his arms.

Tennessee waved the waitress off and sighed, shaking his head. “It’s fine. Simple accident. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll have my parents comp off part of your bill, sir, I swear!”

“Cady, maybe you should talk to your parents before you make a promise, though I think in this case...” The human female shook her head as she picked up what food she could. “Hey, wait a minute...” She looked at the faces of the bears in shock. “Oh, my gosh! You’re _The Country Bears_!”

Cady, the she-sloth, backed up and took a look at them as well, gray eyes wide. “It is! Ah! That just makes this so much worse!”

The human smiled and held out her hand to shake each paw. “I’m Jennifer. Jennifer Paige.”

“You know who we are?” Tennessee asked incredulously.

“Sure!” both girls responded.

“You guys inspired us to go after our dreams to become famous singers!” the she-sloth Cady responded dreamily.

“Didja make it?” Fred asked.

“Yeah, Fred, they made it. They just work here for the free uniform!” Zeb said sarcastically. He turned sheepishly to the waitresses. “Uh, no offense.”

“None taken,” they responded with a laugh.

“My parents run this place. We work here when they really need the help and save up our money to try and get a studio to let us record something,” Cady responded.

“Yeah, still working on it. Just glad I have a family to support me. Cady’s parents were nice enough to give me a place to stay when I got kicked out of my old place. We’ve been sisters for about three years now.”

Beary’s ears lowered. This human had been adopted by bears, but she still thought of them as family? Maybe his human family could still be his family, too!

Jennifer smiled. “We even do one of your songs, _Kick It Into Gear_.”

The band rolled their eyes.

“That old thing?” Zeb laughed a bit.

“Blow the dust off that one,” Fred echoed.

Cady shyly tucked a piece of her hair behind her ears. “We kinda got our own arrangement.”

“Let’s hear it!” Beary and Jewell said enthusiastically.

“Here? Now?”

The bears that sat at the table crossed their arms, watching. “Tell you what – you sing, and I won’t say anything about the spilled coffee,” Tennessee grinned.

“Well, okay.” The waitresses started to sing in loud, powerful voices that got everyone’s attention. Two cooks in the back joined in, singing backup. A third cook suddenly picked up the rhythm, tapping his stainless-steel spatula on the grill. It wasn’t long before he was whacking all the pots around him like drums.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, one of the backup singers pulled out an electric guitar – and then the place really got jumpin’! The people in the diner went wild when the human waitress jumped up on the counter and sang, while Cady was below, swinging her hips from side to side, waving her arms in the air like she was reaching for the stars!

Jennifer nimbly danced over the cups, saucers, and plates on the counter.

“I don’t remember that part!” whispered Zeb to his amazed friends.

Cady and Jennifer sang their hearts out. Three little old ladies whipped out horns and started to play. Everyone in the diner was swaying and clapping along.

“Hey, I kinda like this song,” Fred said as Beary and Jewell climbed under the table and danced in the main part of the diner as tables and chairs were moved out of the way.

Tennessee was movin’ to the groovin’ in his seat. “ _Kinda?_ ”

The whole place was cookin’. Busboys drummed on ratty old white buckets. The cooks drummed on anything they could find in the kitchen. Jennifer was still on the counter, dancing and singing, and Cady was still below her, laughing and singing like they were on the world’s biggest concert stage. Both threw their hair around wildly to the beat of the drums. A whole line of truckers spun their stools in time to the beat.

Jennifer jumped off the counter, joining her bear sister on the floor. Both led the other waitresses in on the makeshift dancefloor, customers lining up behind them and following their moves.

Suddenly, while the song was ending, tables and chairs were moved back – somehow still in beat to the music – and Jennifer finished as a cook shot a plate into the air and dinged the dinner bell. “Order’s up!”

Beary and Jewell returned to their seats – once again climbing under the table, while Jennifer reached into her pocket and pulled out a notepad. “Now then, how’d you guys like your eggs?”

No one responded for a bit, but then Zeb came out of his stupor. “Hot!”

Cady laughed. “Also, what are you all doing together?”

“We’re getting the band back together!” Beary said excitedly. “Can you tell everyone? There’s going to be a couple concerts.”

“Sure! Just let me write down the information!” Jennifer listened to the cub and started writing, pulling the paper from her notepad and putting it in her pocket.

Henry smiled at them and reached into his pocket, pulling out an old business card. “You two keep ahold of this. I’ll be back in the office in about two weeks or so. I think I may just have a proposition for you. I’d go over it with you further, but right now, I’m rather busy. But in two weeks, I’ll see you at my recording studio if you’re interested. Should have found you two years ago, but my wife’s the talent scout.”

Both girls let out excited squeals and, forgetting to pick up the tray of food and finishing the order taking, left to go tell the head of diner, Jack and Esmeralda Swinburne.

“I guess people _do_ remember us,” Tennessee put in.

“Yeah! Henry’s even on TV!” Zeb responded, and everyone turned to look at the TV in confusion.

A reporter in a green tie and was reading from some papers he had clutched in his hand while a smaller picture showed an image of Henry. “Police believe that this bear is involved in the abduction of two ten-year-olds named Beary Barrington and Jewell St. Claire. Reports are unconfirmed at this time whether this older bear is willingly kidnapping, or if he was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you have any information, please call this number.” At the bottom of the screen flashed a telephone number.

Jewell groaned. “Oh, geez.”

Zeb turned to look at Henry. “You’re kidnappin’ them?”

“Of course not!”

Beary rolled his eyes. “Jewell, call that number before Henry gets in trouble.”

“Already on it.”

“Wait, no, you two!” Henry groaned.

Beary glanced around a moment and froze. He put a paw on Jewell’s and lowered her phone to the table. “Guys, I think we might have a problem...” He pointed over at the door, where two cops had just walked in.

_.~*~._

Hamm and Cheets smiled, proud of the work they had done so far. Earlier that day, they had interviewed a chubby bear named Big Al at _Country Bear Hall_ , after getting their permission to cross county lines, and had been told that Beary and Jewell had been ‘taken’ by Henry Dixon Taylor. They had also been very enchanted by Big Al’s beautiful Kentucky Fescue grass.

Naturally, they immediately gone to a TV station, who said that they’d air the information immediately. What Hamm and Cheets didn’t know was that James and Jade had gotten ahold of the reporter, and had modified the information, as what they [the reporter] had been told was not 100% true information and could cause trouble for everyone involved, as both James and Jade knew Henry from past connections – Jade knew him through her father, and James knew him through Trixie – and were well aware that he’d never do anything like that.

“Those kids will be home in no time!” Hamm said, taking his seat at the table, ready to order some lunch.

Cheets nodded, lifting up his menu for a moment, and then glanced around the diner curiously, hearing the clattering of plates. “Wow, rude that someone would just leave such a big mess like that!” He then heard what sounded like a metal trashcan falling over outside, and peered through the blinds to see a group of bears racing towards a bus. “Suspicious activity at ten o’clock!”

Hamm looked at his watch. “How could you possibly know that? It’s only noon, you doof!”

“Look outside!”

Hamm parted the shades and looked in time to see two cubs – one of them a very distinct golden color – give the two waitresses a hug and climb into the bus as well. “Let’s go!” They grabbed their hats and raced outside in time to see the bus start pulling away. Quickly as they could, they jumped into their vehicle, unaware that they were being followed by another car, a silvery-blue pickup truck.


	10. Part Ten - The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title's fairly explanatory.

What were the odds that they’d be found by two cops right after that segment aired? Beary and Jewell went straight to the back of the bus and pulled open the back curtain, staring back at the police car that was tailing them.

“Henry, they’re following us!” Beary called. He didn’t want to go back! If Henry got arrested, what about the band? They’d never continue the journey on their own with him, Henry, and Jewell gone!

Jewell looked at him, sharing the same fears. She didn’t want to go back just yet! She wanted to see her mother! Spend time with her probable father!

Henry went back to the cubs. “I didn’t kidnap you, right? You came of your own free will?”

“We did!” Beary and Jewell confirmed.

Henry frowned, trying to think of something. “Then why don’t we pull over and explain that to them?”

“No, we can’t,” Beary said. “They’ll take me away and probably arrest you! Please, Henry! You need me to help reunite the band!”

“Heck, we can do that,” Henry said, looking over at the other members of the band. “Can’t we, boys?”

“I’m scared!” Fred cried, hiding under a blanket.

Zeb clutched a pillow. “I need honey!”

“Trixie!” Tennessee wailed as though his despair would never end.

Henry groaned. He knew deep down that he could probably finish the job on his own, but looking at Beary and Jewell’s eyes, he knew what the right thing to do was. He walked back up to the front of the bus. “Roadie! Shake these fellers!” he commanded.

“Shake ‘em!” Beary and Jewell echoed, grabbing onto whatever they could as the bus sped up. “Whoa!”

The fearful cries of the band that was no longer used to such excitement echoed through the air as Roadie’s expert driving skills came in handy.

“Pull over! Pull over!” a voice over a microphone called. Beary and Jewell glanced out the back window again. “Pull over or...” There was a bit of a pause, and the two cubs saw the cops conversing. “Pull over or we’ll make you pull over!”

Jewell snorted and started laughing. “They aren’t serious, are they?” she asked, looking over at Beary before Roadie suddenly swerved, knocking her into him, their lips connecting. “Ah!”

“Ah!” he echoed, pushing her away in shock. “Gross!”

“Cooties!”

Their shouts drew the attention of Henry, who looked back to make sure they were okay, and shook his head in exasperation. Cubs and their “cooties”. He turned back to Roadie. “Why haven’t you ever become a racecar driver?”

“Because the bus race hasn’t been invented yet. Plus, I don’t want to just make left turns all the time.” Roadie kept his eyes on the road, trying to get away from the police car. He made a sharp left and a hard right, but the cops were still behind them. Finally, he spotted their way out. “Let’s play a little game I like to call ‘Hiding in the Car Wash’.”

“How do you do that?” Henry asked.

“We hide in the car wash.” Roadie made a quick left turn – almost tipping the bus in the process – and drove into the car wash with the heavily dusty bus.

_.~*~._

“I lost them!” Officer Hamm exclaimed in defeat as he looked around. Where had the bus gone?

“Are you serious? How could you lose them?! It’s a bus!” Cheets responded, shocked.

Hamm grinned when he looked over at the long car wash, where just a little bit of the bus was sticking out. “Bingo, nine o’clock!” he said, gesturing at the sign that read BINGO 9 O’CLOCK. He turned the wheel and followed the bus.

.~*~.

Meanwhile, in the truck that had been following the chase with no lights or sirens, Jade groaned. “They are not about to do what I think they are, are they?”

“They did,” James muttered, watching as Hamm and Cheets pulled into the car wash after the bus. “Those two dunderheads.”

“I get that they’re trying, but honestly...” Jade shook her head. “We’re going to wait on the other side of the car wash, right?”

“I was thinking a bit further down and follow them. We’re off-duty anyway, and not in a cop car, so they won’t think we’re cops. We’ll follow them wherever they go – at a distance, of course – and when they stop, we’ll talk to them.” James found a nice parking spot and waited. “I just hope those two just don’t... Oh, I don’t know. Make things worse than they already have.”

“Indeed.”

_.~*~._

“They’re right behind us!” Beary cried, staring out the back window in shock.

“Hit it, Roadie!” Henry called.

“Henry, we’re in a car wash,” Roadie responded, sitting back and relaxing.

“Right, right.” Henry sat down in his chair as well, and glanced back at the band, who were all still a bit shaken up. In fact, Zeb had retched in a bucket that was thankfully already filled with garbage.

The older bear walked back to the younger ones, hoping they weren’t too frightened by all of this. “You kids okay?”

“Bonked our heads a little, but we’re fine, Henry,” Jewell responded.

“And Jewell has cooties!” Beary exclaimed, disgusted.

“I do not!” Jewell shrieked, launching at him and biting his ear.

“COOTIES! Ow!” Beary scrambled to get away.

Henry rolled his eyes. “Why do you think she has cooties?”

“She kissed me!”

“I DID NOT! I FELL ON YOU AND IT HAPPENED! I WOULD NEVER KISS YOU INTENTIONALLY!”

“I WOULDN’T KISS YOU EITHER!”

“Gods give me strength to deal with these cubs.” Henry took a deep breath. “Beary, Jewell, behave. Jewell, stop biting his ear. Beary, stop screeching. Honestly.”

Up at the front, Roadie was roaring with laughter, and Zeb hurled again. Tennessee and Fred were still blubbering, and the bus was gently getting the wash that it rightly deserved. Henry went back up to the front.

Beary finally got his ear released, and he glanced out the back window again, and tapped Jewell’s shoulder. “What are they doing?”

Jewell looked out the back window in time to see one of the cops being dragged out of the driver’s window by a spinning brush. “What...? Is he crazy?” She watched as the other cop got pulled out of the other side as well. “If Uncle James were here, he’d call them idiots.”

Beary nodded in agreement, watching as the cops got tossed and washed with their car, before finally being deposited behind the vehicle. He shook his head and waved when they stood up. Jewell laughed and did the same.

“I don’t think they’ll be following us any longer,” Beary grinned, looking over at his friend.

“Nope!” Jewell turned around and looked at the other older bears, shaking her head as her ears lowered. “Crying, hiding, and throwing up. This... This isn’t how I expected the band to be. They were supposed to be awesome.”

Beary nodded in agreement. “I know... It’s actually kinda...” He sighed. “Disappointing. Remember last night? Fred had to hold Zeb up because he was swaying so much.”

Jewell frowned, and looked at Tennessee. “And he’s such a crybaby. Mama... Why would she see in him?”

“Jewell, I, uh, think he heard you,” Beary said as the bus pulled out of the car wash after Roadie paid his dues.

The golden cub’s ears flattened when she saw the hurt expression on Tennessee’s face. She looked at the ground unhappily. Oops.

Silence fell on the bus, broken only by Zeb heaving for the last time as they began to pull out of Nashville, happy that the cops had been lost behind them, but weren’t going to take any more chances in getting caught. However, about thirty minutes outside the city, Roadie pulled over.

Henry frowned. “What’s up? Run out of gas?”

“No. We’re being followed.” Roadie looked in the side mirrors at the silvery-blue pickup that pulled over behind them.

Beary and Jewell knelt on the back seat and looked out the window. “Wait! That’s my uncle!” Jewell exclaimed excitedly, bounding forward and practically jumping off the bus.

Beary, however, stayed where he was, and shifted into a corner, trying to remain small. He knew that James would take him back to the Barrington house. He just hoped Jewell wouldn’t bring him in.

To his immense disappointment, that’s just what she did.

“Well, would you look at you lot?” James Stone shook his head and looked at the bears in the bus. “Ridiculous. Never thought I’d see you three in one place ever again.” The plump black bear grinned. “But it’s not you guys I’m interested in, though...” He looked pointedly at Tennessee. “You, I am a little pissed off at.”

“What did I do?!” the heartthrob crybaby asked, leaning away from him.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Now then, where’s our other missing bear cub?”

As one, the adults in the bus pointed back at Beary, and James walked back and sat down next to him. “Beary? Your parents are worried sick.”

“Parents? Those humans are not my parents! My parents abandoned me! They are Dex’s family, not mine! They already have another baby on the way. Just leave me alone!” Beary cried, shrinking back.

James frowned. “You don’t really think that, do you?” He glanced up, noticing eyes were upon them. “Come outside and we’ll talk, okay? I promise, I won’t take you back if you don’t want to go, because I know you’ll just leave again.” He gave Beary a friendly smile and got up, walking towards the front of the bus.

Beary thought for a few moments, sighed, and got up as well, following him off the bus, making sure not to look at the faces he was sure were watching him. As soon as he stepped off, he let out a startled screech as he was pulled into the arms of a female bear. “Jade!”

Jade snorted and hugged him. “I should be tanning your hide, mister, for the scare you gave your poor mother.”

“She’s not my mother!” Beary growled, pulling away from her.

Jade paused, studying him for a moment. “Found out, huh? That you were adopted?” She shook her head, one arm still wrapped around Jewell’s shoulders. “I was wondering how long it’d take. No matter, she still raised you.”

“Because my own parents didn’t want me!” Fresh, hot tears rolled down his cheeks as he sat down on the grass by the bus. “Dex told me that I was abandoned!”

Jade had no problem baring her teeth. “ _Dex_ told you this?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Why that little, no-good, little piece of sh-”

“Jade!” James warned. “We will explain things to Allison and Norbert.” James then sat down next to Beary. “As for you... What do you want to do?”

“I... I want to get the band back together and prove I’m worth something.” Beary’s ear flicked when he heard Tennessee start bawling from inside the bus. “But... But they’re not like I expected, Mr. Stone. Zeb’s completely zoned, Tennessee’s a humongous crybaby, and Fred... Actually, out of all of them, Fred’s the closest to what I read and saw.”

Jewell nodded in agreement.

“I see... Do you feel comfortable around them?” James had known the band for years, as he had married Trixie’s younger sister, Tasha. He knew they were good guys who would never, ever hurt Beary or Jewell.

Jade blinked, looking at her friend in surprise. Was her uncle serious?

“Yeah, I do. It’s a lot to get used to, but they’re still my favorite band. Maybe when Zeb stops throwing up, they’ll play us something! Do you think? Plus, I can’t leave now. They’re... They’ll fall apart again!” Beary explained, wiping away his tears. “Please don’t take me away. I... I have to find out who I am. My place is here.”

“And what about Mr. and Mrs. Barrington, kiddo?”

“I... I’ll call them tonight, okay? Let ‘em know I wasn’t kidnapped or anything.”

James nodded. He knew it was foolish to leave Beary, but he also knew that the cub would just run away all over again if he was taken back. It’d be better that Beary realize on his own that he was loved and wanted by his human family. He was a smart kid, and would figure it out sooner rather than later. “You make sure you call them, okay? I’ll talk to them later this evening, if they’re not still out looking around for you. Just remember that they love you, okay?”

Beary gave a small nod and let the older bear hug him, before he got up and ran to Jade’s arms. Jewell smiled and hugged him as well, knowing that her uncle would let her stay with Beary.

James got up, brushed himself off, and went onto the bus. In a loud voice, he spoke. “Okay, you lot! I’m going to leave you in charge and fully responsible for these two young, highly impressionable cubs! So shape up and act your age! No more drinking. No more crying. And, Fred? Stop hiding under a blanket. These cubs have grown up thinking the world of you, and you better live up to their expectations. You’ve already done a poor job of it!”

He then turned to Roadie. “As for you, you did felony evading of a cop. I’m not sure whether or not to arrest you or applaud you for what you did to those two dunderheads. It was quite the show, though. The fact that they _followed_ you into the car wash... I actually had to pray for strength, I couldn’t believe it.” He shook his head and grinned. “Nonetheless, no one can prove who was driving, and there were no pictures of you taken.”

“Can’t you prove it?” Roadie asked, confused but proud.

“I’m off duty, first of all, and second of all, I can’t prove anything, because I didn’t see who was driving, either.” James winked at him. “Drive safe, old friend. If I see you do that kind of BS again, though, I won’t hesitate in having you arrested.”

Roadie nodded.

James then looked at Henry. “As for you, we’ll get that segment fully taken off the TV. I know you didn’t kidnap them. Those two knucklehead cops that reported you misinterpreted what Big Al said. I called him up myself asking about them, and he explained everything. Don’t even worry about it.” He smiled and leaned in a bit closer. “And I know about Beary and you, Henry... I’ve been looking into his past for as long as I’ve known him. Everything adds up, as far as I’m aware. I’ll ask some more questions, but I have a very distinct feeling that he’s your missing boy. Don’t say anything to him yet, though. He’s confused and hurt, and may reject you for it.”

Henry smiled a little and nodded, feeling butterflies in his stomach. Possible confirmation from a cop?! Glory!

James straightened up and looked at the others. “If I get one bad report from my niece, I will fight all of you.” He turned and went back to the door before stopping next to Roadie. “By the way, if you are looking for Trixie,” he whispered, “she’s in Knoxville. Jewell mentioned that Tennessee wouldn’t play without her.” He went on to tell him exactly where she was performing, and that there was a motel not too far from it.

Roadie grinned and nodded.

Once James had left, Beary and Jewell reentered the bus, this time sitting near the front across from Henry, wanting to look out the side windows as they traveled.

Roadie waited until Henry had taken his seat, and closed the door, taking to the road once more.


	11. Part Eleven - Sing a Song of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, another bar!

“I’m hungry,” Beary groaned as he flopped onto his back, once more at the back of the bus with Jewell, who was doing the same, her legs raised up against the back wall and her head hanging down from the seat, her hair gathering on the floor.

“Me, too! We didn’t get to eat earlier!” Jewell complained unhappily. “Feed us!”

Zeb glanced back at them, holding a hot water bottle against his head, and his usually pony-tailed hair was hanging down to his shoulders. “Feed you? Fred, share some of your brownies.”

“Uh, no,” Fred responded, hurriedly closing the bag and putting it in his pocket.

“Aw, c’mon, Fred. Share.”

“I can’t!”

“What, are they pot brownies?” Zeb asked.

“Uh...” Fred gave a nod.

Henry groaned up at the front. “I thought you stopped doing that. No wonder you gained so much weight.”

“Nothing wrong with being a bit chubby, Henry,” Fred pointed out. “They help me calm down, and I’m all a anxious.”

“No, nothing wrong with it. But it is a bit unhealthy, Fred, you have to admit,” Henry responded. “Plus those brownies? Just make sure the cubs can’t reach them. That’s the last thing we need.”

Fred nodded, reaching into his pocket to make sure they were there, and gasped when he found them gone. Hearing the sounds of eating, he turned around and let out a yelp.

Beary and Jewell’s mouths were covered in crumbs as they shoved the brownies into their mouths and ate them.

Fred responded with a very loud curse word.

“Oh, man,” Zeb groaned, and Tennessee looked positively horrified. Henry looked like he wanted to kick Fred.

“Might as well let them ride it out. It’ll be a couple more hours until we get to Knoxville, guys,” Roadie called back, having heard the situation. “Be some entertainment, too.”

“Why are we going to Knoxville?” Beary asked.

“Uh, to escape the law for a bit. Let things cool down,” Roadie responded, not wanting to give anything away. “You two apologize to Fred for taking his brownies.”

“Sorry, Fred! I’ll make you new ones!” Jewell apologized.

“We were just hungry!” Beary explained sheepishly.

“You’re going to be even more hungry in a little bit,” the big bear responded, shaking his head. “At least there was only two in there, and they wasn’t very big... It’ll be about thirty minutes until it kicks in. Maybe less, since they’re so young, and I made them for me.”

“Till what kicks in?” Beary asked as his vision began to swim. “Whoa... What the...”

“And there it goes,” Zeb snorted. “I think this might be the last time they eat your cooking, Fred.”

Jewell stood up and wobbled around, heading for Tennessee. “Such a cutesy-wootsy bear!” She grabbed his cheeks and pinched and tugged, shaping his face.

Zeb couldn’t contain his laughter as he watched her, ignoring Tennessee’s eye-cries for help. Fred felt rather horrible about the situation, but even he couldn’t deny the amusement.

Henry, however, groaned, unable to believe this was really happening. Unwittingly, they had now gotten two cubs high on weed. “Roadie, stop laughing. This is horrible.”

“Head’s up, Henry, you got one on the way,” Roadie responded, glancing up at the mirror.

Henry turned in time to see Beary coming towards him, squishing his face much like Jewell was messing with Tennessee’s – though now she had moved on Zeb’s – and lifted up his lips and examined his teeth.

“Big teeth! Wow! Dex would be scared of you! He doesn’t like teeth or claws. That’s why Mom files mine down.” Beary held up his paw, showing the dull, very short claws.

Henry frowned unhappily at the little nubs that should be a bit longer. They were basically filed down to the blood vessel. It was probably done because they were humans and didn’t know any better. Poor cub.

His pity was short lived as Beary grabbed onto his ears and yanked hard. “Wee, horsey!”

Henry rolled his eyes, grinned, and grabbed the cub round the middle and pulled him close, tickling him mercilessly.

The squeals and laughs that filled the bus from the young bear brought smiles to all – even Zeb, though his face was being shaped by Jewell and causing his hangover to worsen.

_.~*~._

“Munch, munch!” Beary giggled as he ate a snack given to him by Fred as they left a gas station after filling up. They were about an hour outside of Knoxville, and Beary and Jewell had been one super laidback, but also very energetic, pair.

Now that they had some snacks – chips, fruits, and drinks – they had become more laidback and sleepy.

“Hehe!” Jewell laughed lightly, leaning against Beary as her eyes drooped and began to drift off.

Beary started to do the same, quickly falling fast asleep as he snorted and curled up beside her.

Up in the middle and front of the bus, the older bears breathed sighs of relief that the duo were finally out.

“I thought they’d never pass out. And an hour and a half of getting our faces warped and shaped by Jewell, and getting pounced on by Beary?” Zeb shook his head and rubbed his face. “Cubs. Never having any. They’re insane! Oh, wait, I already have one. Forget that.”

“You were just as crazy, Zeb,” Henry pointed out. “Or did you forget that you were as young as them when the band started?”

The auburn bear waved him off. “I also had stripes back then, too, remember? Like a tabby cat.”

“The only reason you don’t anymore is because you waste what money you have to bleach your fur lighter!”

“Yeah, well... I’m not a cat.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “If Helen were here, she’d give you such a talking to. She thought your stripes were beautiful.”

“She was about the only one who didn’t make fun of them. Where is she, anyway?”

Fred was the one who spoke. “She got in an accident few years back. Been in a coma ever since.”

Zeb’s ears flattened. “How was I supposed to know?”

“Didn’t I tell you?” Fred was surprised. Surely he had mentioned it to the fiddler in one of their audio cassette mailings since Zeb couldn’t read very well. “Well, anyway... Sorry about that, then.”

Zeb and Tennessee glanced at Henry unhappily. No wonder he held sorrow in his eyes.

“And before you ask, Beary’s not his kid. At least, not that Beary’s aware of.” Fred looked at Henry. “Right?”

Henry chose not to answer.

_.~*~._

“All right, we’re here. Here’s a motel. Looks like cheap rates. $35 a room per night?” Roadie let out a low whistle and looked at Henry. “Can we afford that?”

“Gonna have to,” Henry responded uncertainly.

“Henry, why are you being so iffy on money, anyway?” Zeb asked, while Tennessee nodded in agreement.

“Hospital bills cost a lot, Zeb,” the older bear responded. “Why do you think I’m getting you guys back together? No, not for quick money, so banish that thought from your heads. No, it’s because if I don’t get this money, they’re going to tear down the _Hall_. I... I can’t lose my home. Not where Trista and Jacob were raised. Not where my youngest... my youngest was raised until he disappeared.” He sighed softly and shook his head. “I’m sorry for not being forward with you guys from the start, but...”

“No worries,” Zeb responded with a grin, putting his hat back on his head. “The _Hall_ was my home, too, remember?”

“Same here,” Tennessee and Fred agreed.

“We’re not going to let you down,” Tennessee went on, sniffling.

Henry smiled at them, wiping a tear of his own away. “Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “Let’s get inside. Fred, you and Tennessee go pick up, oh, I don’t know, pizza or something.”

“Where do you want us to get food?” Tennessee asked.

Roadie thought for a moment. “Why not that bar over there? It looks like a restaurant bar. A pub.”

Zeb glanced out the window, blinking. “You mean the one that says... Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.” He laughed a bit. “Oh, you knew, didn’t you!”

Roadie simply smiled.

Tennessee didn’t pay any attention to what they were talking about as he walked off the bus and stretched, and wandered towards the bar, oblivious.

Fred shook his head. “This’ll be good.”

“We’ll get checked in, Fred,” Henry responded. “Get these two to bed.”

“Don’t you need my debit card?”

“I... Well... I can afford one room, I think.” Henry glanced at Roadie. “What about you?”

“I’m sleeping in my bus. Saves more money.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Now shoo.”

“Well then. Fred, go get some food.” Henry smiled. “Zeb, you wait here with the cubs, and when we get our room, help me carry them in.”

Zeb nodded, figuring that he’d bunk with Fred when the bigger bear came back.

_.~*~._

Tennessee wandered into the bar, moving to the gentle music, not really paying attention. That is, until he heard her voice.

 _'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't_  
You can't make your heart feel something it won't  
Here in the dark, in these final hours

 _I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power_  
But you won't, no you won't  
'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't

That voice could only belong to one beautiful bear. Tennessee slowly turned his head towards the stage, tears bubbling to the surface when he found who it was he sought.

Trixie St. Claire sang on stage, voice proud and strong and beautiful, yes filled with mourning. “Thank you,” she said once finished to the gathered bar-goers, who cheered, but not to her. She looked over and found them watching a sports game and her ears lowered. “For not listening...”

“I was listening,” Tennessee spoke out. He watched as she looked up and around before focusing on him.

“Tennessee?” she whispered, shocked. She backed away a little and spoke to the musicians behind her for a moment before turning back to the crowd. “The next song was written by an old friend. He wrote it a long time ago, when he was part of a band called _The Country Bears_.”

“Whoo! Bears rock!” one man shouted from the crowd.

Trixie smiled faintly and began to sing her song of love.

Tennessee stepped towards the stage slowly, nerves trying to take hold over him. He wanted to run away. He wanted to stay. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted Trixie. “Trixie, I’m here to tell you simply that I can’t go on without you!” He started to cry. “I’m a mess on account of how much I miss you. You probably hate me, and I don’t blame you. _Pleeeeeease_ come with me, or just flatten me with a steamroller and mail me to China! I _want_ you back!”

Trixie stared deep into his eyes for a moment. Then she extended her manicured paw to him and pulled him onstage. She sang the song to him as he moved closer and closer, and just when he couldn’t take it one second more, Tennessee began to sing as well. He sang, then she sang, then they sang together. The song slowly blossomed into a romantic duet.

When it was over, the long-separated couple gave each other a huge bear hug, and the place went wild.

They stepped down from the stage, heading towards the door. They had so much to talk about!

“Tennessee, there’s something I need to tell you. I... About ten years ago...” Trixie tried to find the words as they stepped out into the fresh air.

“I know about Jewell,” he responded simply.

Her eyes widened in shock. “You... What? How?!”

“That’s how.” He pointed towards a golden cub that came racing towards them.

“MAMA!”

Trixie’s eyes went wide and she let out a happy cry as her daughter jumped into her arms and hugged her. “Jewell! Oh, my baby girl! What are you doing here?! Oh, I don’t care right now. Oh, baby... Mama’s missed you so much!”

Tennessee smiled, but no tears came to his eyes. He was far too happy for those! He glanced over at the motel, where Henry was carrying Beary and Jewell’s backpacks into the hotel room, followed by Zeb. “Wait, where did Fred go?” He glanced around.

“Went to get the food,” Fred responded, appearing behind them. “You two did quite a duet.” He smiled brightly and held up the sacks of hot food he carried that hadn’t taken very long to cook. “Let’s go to the room.” He walked away from them.

Tennessee watched him, then turned to Trixie. “Trix, I do have one question... Is she... Is she mine?”

Trixie smiled and set Jewell down. “You’re the only one for me,” she responded. “Of course Jewell’s your daughter.”

Jewell looked over at Tennessee. So it was true! At last, she had a father! “So I’m officially the junior Country Bear, then?”

Trixie laughed and hugged her again. Jewell reached out an arm and brought Tennessee over, giving him a hug, too.

From a telephone booth, Beary watched with a small smile. Jewell’s family was complete. He had only just woken up, but was going to keep his promise to Jade and James. Putting some coins in the payphone, he dialed the number to his former home.


	12. Part Twelve - Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End of the day leaves much to think about.

Beary whimpered as he set the payphone back into the cradle and slowly slid down the side of the phone box, looking over where Jewell was talking happily with her birth parents. What he wouldn’t give to have that!

After the conversation he’d just had with his brother, in which Dex relayed to him new information about where Beary came from – apparently he had been kidnapped by the Barringtons when they failed to return him to his birth father. That his mother had been in a crash.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he tried to keep his cries silent and muffled, pulling his legs in close to his body, his chin on his knees. This was so much for a ten-year-old to take in. Was what Dex said true? He’d been right about Beary being “adopted”, and he’d been right that he was different. Why shouldn’t Beary believe the human he once called brother?

_Tap, tap..._

Beary glanced up to find the source of the noise, and found Trixie crouching in front of him, looking concerned.

“Kiddo? Are you all right?” the older bear asked, looking in on him.

Beary sniffled and wiped his tears on his sleeve, feeling very embarrassed at being found out. That meant Jewell was nearby! He looked around, frowning when he saw her walking over to the hotel. He knew she was probably going to go get someone else. No! He didn’t want them to see him crying!

Hurriedly, he got up, shaking his head. No! No, no, no! He forced open the door to the phone booth and pushed past the golden she-bear that waited for him. Then he ran.

“Beary, wait!” Trixie called, having remembered him from a past visit with her daughter. She got up from where she’d fallen after losing her balance, and started to give chase.

“Leave me alone!” He didn’t want to be embarrassed anymore. He didn’t want coddling. He didn’t want anyone. Eyes locking on a nearby tree, he ran and jumped, trying to climb it, but his filed down claws did little to help and he couldn’t hang on. He just ended up at the bottom, sobbing.

Trixie, upon seeing this, held back, startled. Why hadn’t he climbed the tree? Did he not know how? She didn’t know how to approach this. It was wrong. So very, very wrong. “B-Beary?” She glanced around. Where had Tennessee gone? Where was Jewell?

“Beary!” Jewell was suddenly by her side, appearing from behind another car. “I got this, Mama.” She immediately went over to her friend, who tried to push her away, but Jewell pushed right back and licked his nose lovingly. After a few moments, she settled down beside him, an arm wrapped his shoulders.

Trixie watched the interaction curiously, her ears flicking when she heard the arrival of the other bears. Why had all of them come out? “Boys?”

“Jewell was coming to get Henry, and then Tennessee came in and said that Beary was trying to run off,” Zeb tried to explain, panting slightly from his run. Boy, was he out of shape.

Fred tilted his head, studying the cubs with an odd expression. “What are they doing?”

Henry smiled gently. “Jewell’s trying to comfort and calm him down. Something’s upset him badly by the looks of things. Trista used to do that to Jacob, remember?”

Zeb nodded. “Barely, but I do remember that. Did the same damn thing to me, too. So, uh, now what? Do we just stand here or can we go eat?”

Fred lightly smacked his arm.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

Fred just smiled in response.

Trixie shook her head. “Boys...”

“I’ll watch them. Go eat. Make sure to save some for them. They need more food than we do,” Henry spoke up, turning to the group. “And make sure Roadie gets some food, too. He’s probably already asleep, but wake him up.” He went and found himself a bench to sit at while the others argued amongst themselves about who would wake up the cranky-when-he-wakes Roadie.

.~*~.

“Are you feeling better now?” Jewell asked gently as she gave him another lick to the snout.

Beary wiped what was left of his tears away and hiccuped. He gave a small nod and leaned against her.

She smiled and pulled back a bit. “Do you want to go inside and eat? Maybe get them all to watch that cartoon I brought? The _Country Bear_ one?”

He managed a small smile and nodded. He did still feel embarrassed about the whole thing, and knew he’d get strange looks from the others. What if they looked down on him? He asked Jewell.

The golden cub giggled and held up her paw. “Then I will smack them! No one treats my friend like that but me!”

He started laughing in response. “You’re my best friend... You wouldn’t lie to me, right?”

“Never ever,” she promised, nuzzling him. “And I won’t treat you like Dex does. He’s just a jerk. Why would Mr. and Mrs. Barrington kidnap you? They’re not bad people. Kidnappers are bad people. Uncle James says so. Maybe they were just trying to help out, and Dex misunderstood. He is a bit of an airhead.”

Beary snorted. “Just a bit, yeah.” His stomach began to growl, and Jewell laughed.

“Are you hungry, then?” she questioned, her own giving in to the hungry chorus. “I think I am. Do you think they saved us anything to eat?”

“I hope so.” Beary pushed himself up, flinching at the pain in his paws, and groaned when he finally realized he’d opened the quicks on several of his claws. “Ow...”

Jewell grabbed his paw and examined it. “Stopped bleeding for now. Probably happened when you tried to climb the tree. You dork, you know better than to climb a tree when you have no proper claws!”

He flinched and his ears lowered. “Mom... I mean, Mrs. Barrington didn’t want me climbing trees. Said it was too dangerous.”

“Well, you’ve always been clumsy,” she responded with a grin. “These don’t look too bad, but let’s head inside, okay? It’s getting a little too dark for my liking, and I want to watch my cartoon!” She held out her paw to him.

Beary laughed and accepted the offered paw and let her lead him back towards the hotel, both completely unaware that Henry had been listening the entire time from a table on the other side of the tree, hidden by a bush.

_.~*~._

While Beary reheated what was left of the food Fred had bought, Jewell searched her backpack for the cartoon video she had. Upon finding it, she placed it in the VCR and pressed PLAY.

The others who were gathered in the room – Fred, Tennessee, Trixie, and Zeb – sitting either on the beds or in chairs, watched the TV as Jewell took a seat at the table, grinning ear to ear.

Beary joined her at the table once their food was warmed up, and picked at his food as he watched the cartoon a bit. Jewell, however, was speaking the lines as they were said.

The show, from 1981 and not staring the voices of the band but some other guys, was as cheesy and as corny as an ‘80s cartoon could get. Most of the storylines, featuring the main four bears – Ted, Fred, Tennessee, and Zeb – featured the band fighting aliens with their instruments.

Fred was getting really into the storyline where he was the hero with his harmonica, and was even imitating what was on the TV screen. His character was fighting a green alien in a spaceship flying through the sky while the others coward behind a rock.

“ _Blow, Fred, blow!_ ” cartoon-Zeb shouted onscreen as Fred blew into his harmonica, the soundwaves disrupting the alien’s hearing and causing him to fly into the side of a mountain.

At the end of the episode, all the bears held up their paws towards each other and shouted, “ _Bear Power!_ ”

Zeb groaned and shook his head. “That was bad.”

“They shoulda let us do our own voices. Who sanctioned this?” Tennessee asked, shaking his head.

Trixie, however, found it hilarious, and had nearly fallen off the bed as she laughed gaily. “It’s not all that bad! And besides, my cameos were great! My sheer beauty and singing was spot-on!”

“At least they let you voice your own character!” Zeb accused. “Ugh, I can’t believe I actually used to watch that as a teenager. What the hell was I thinking?”

Beary and Jewell laughed happily, Beary feeling much better, and started up another episode.

Trixie, however, took the remote from them and turned it off. “Nuh-uh. You two are going to bed. It’s almost ten o’clock! Way past your bedtime!” She then looked at the other bears. “And you lot! Out! Go to your rooms.” She went over to Tennessee and whispered something to him that resulted in a blush.

Zeb snorted as he threw out his trash and got up. “Guess we know who those two will be doing tonight,” he said to Fred as they left the room, heading to their own.

Tennessee smiled and hung out by the door as he watched Trixie take charge of the cubs once they had finished their food and threw away the garbage. She made sure that they both took showers and got changed into their pajamas, and that they crawled into bed together. When Tennessee questioned her about why they were sharing a bed, she simply told him that they were cubs, and Henry needed the other bed.

The two adults then waited until Henry had returned from wherever he had been – he had gone on a walk – and left for their own room with a single bed, ready to bring Zeb’s prediction to life.

Henry, meanwhile, sat on the edge of his bed, looking over at the curled up cubs with a faint smile, and thought. His stomach gave a small grumble, but he managed to ignore it. He didn’t eat much, anyway, having grown used to an almost-empty stomach. Deciding the next best course of action would be to lock the room door and go take a shower, he did just that, standing under the water as it turned from hot to warm to cool and, finally, to cold.

There was so much to think about. From what he had overheard of Beary and Jewell’s earlier conversation, Beary’s human adoptive brother had told him that he’d been kidnapped by his adoptive parents. That that was why they had lied to him for so many years. That his birth mother had been in a crash, and they had failed to locate the father.

Henry, of course, knew that it was absurd. The humans hadn’t kidnapped him – at least not intentionally. They had simply done the wrong thing for the right reason. They had taken care of Beary and raised him for seven years after supposedly finding him a month after the crash in the woods.

Yet, Henry had to wonder if they did try to find him. Had he missed their calls? Their visitations? At the time they might have, he would have been in the hospital by his wife’s side, begging her to wake up and crying when she didn’t.

‘ _Oh, Helen... What should I do?_ ’ he asked mentally as he stared at the tile of the bear-sized shower/bath combo. Water dripped down his hair past his eyes and down his snout, and soaked his fur through. ‘ _I want to tell him, but how can I know for certain this is our lost boy? I know everything adds up and makes sense – his past, what he’s learned, and the timeline – but... Oh, my love, I wish you were here. I don’t know what to do. After your crash, I was such a mess. I’m sure I screwed things up with Jacob. That’s probably why he’s gone to Alaska to be part of their Coast Guard. To get away from me. He’s twenty-two now, Helen. Our oldest boy has left the nest._

_‘And Trista, oh little Trista. She moved out before your crash. She even graduated from Veterinarian school. I wish you had been there to see her graduate. She was valedictorian. I recorded her speech and have it saved for when you wake up. I want you to see her walk across the stage. She’s been dating an Andean bear up in the Yukon where her practice is – she treats so many animals, and even some wild ones – for about two years now. I think things are getting fairly serious. Her boyfriend, Kai, has even come down to meet me a few months ago, and asked me if I would give him permission to ask for her paw. I haven’t heard if he’s popped the question yet, but I’m sure it’ll be soon. She’s twenty-nine now, and can make her own decisions._

‘ _Heh, she’s getting married later than we did. We got married almost right after high school, right before I shipped out for Vietnam. You were pregnant with her at the time, too. We had a good run, Helen... Three cubs, two successfully raised to adulthood, and then little Beary came along. Still don’t know why we named him that, but you were feeling silly that day. Oh, you were so proud of our little bear cub. He was such a small little thing. Premature. We didn’t think he’d make it. It was a bad time to have a new member of the family, with our main source of income having fallen apart. He was in the hospital for over a month because he wasn’t finished developing within you._

‘ _Yet, we never gave up. We never cared about the hospital costs. All we cared for was that he’d live and have a chance of a future. To find friendship, love, and happiness. And then... And then that terrible crash... You were almost dead when a farmer found you at the bottom of the hill. Beary was nowhere to be found. All it was... all you wanted was to sooth our sickly cub to sleep that night, and you took him out on a ride._ ’ He put his paws up against the tiles, hanging his head low as he cried.

‘ _We lost him that night, Helen. I couldn’t find him. No one knew where he went. They thought he’d been thrown by the crash into the river. They searched and searched, but never found him... From the sounds of it, though, he was thrown into the river and carried away downstream, somehow making it to shore where he got out and sought out shelter. I don’t know how he made it before the humans found him, but he did. They took him and raised him as their own. I... If I get to meet them, I want to ask them what they know. I want to get to know the people that saved our little boy. I want to know this ‘brother’ that treated him so cruelly. I want to thank them._

‘ _Our little boy is back, my dearest, and he’s here with me, though he doesn’t know that I’m his father. He found me and doesn’t know me. What a cruel twist of fate. Do I dare try to rekindle a family bond? Should I just leave it alone? He’s in pain, Helen... So much pain from being lied to and emotionally abused. He thinks his birth parents abandoned him. That we left him alone in the woods where he was found. That his adoptive family is nothing but liars and kidnappers, thanks to what his so-called brother said. I can’t stand seeing him in such pain. He’s too young for this. I... I have to tell him the truth. Let him know that he has a family. Let him know that he is loved and cared for, and that I’m going to be there for him. I have my son back, love, and I won’t lose him again._ ’

Henry sighed deeply and turned off the water. He then hit a switch and felt the breeze of the fur dryer built into the walls blow into his fur and dry it. Once finished, he stepped out onto the towel on the floor and dressed in a t-shirt. Looking into the mirror above the sink, he studied his graying features. Was he ready for this?

Shaking off his nerves, he left the bathroom and stepped into the dark main room, leaving the bathroom light on and the door slightly ajar. He then stood in front of the bed where the cubs were sleeping, and looked at the face of his sleeping long-lost child.

“Beary,” he said softly so as to not wake him, “you’re not alone. You have a family. A father, mother, sister, and brother. You have an uncle, on your mother’s side, and an aunt on your father’s. You have grandparents. Your father loves and misses you very much. He was lost when he lost you and your mother that fateful night. For the next several years, he blamed himself for what happened, wishing he could have stopped your mother from taking you on that night’s drive to sooth you to sleep. Wishing that he hadn’t been so cranky that night. Wishing that he’d stayed up with you through your sickly pains.”

Henry took a deep breath. “I... I’m that father, regretful for what I have done. I am your father, Beary, and you are my son. I never stopped thinking about you. When I saw you that day, just a few days ago, my heart stopped. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had thought you were lost forever, and yet there you were, standing on my front lawn. Oh, my sweet child, I’ve missed you. I wanted to pull you into my arms right then and there, yet I didn’t. I was scared of how you’d react. I didn’t know if you had found a new family, or if you would reject me. I didn’t want to scare you.

“And then you gave me the nerve to go after the band. To save my home. Your home. These past few days have been a miracle, and I haven’t been happier in many years. I... I love you, Beary, and when this is all over, I will speak to your adoptive parents. I will find out what they know. How you grew up. I will thank them for everything they did. I will ask them and you if you can come back to me. To be a family again. I promise I will protect and keep you safe, and never let anything hurt you again. I love you, my son.”

“I love you, too, Papa...”

Henry’s ears perked, and he studied the cubs curiously. Had they been awake the entire time?! Hearing their snores, however, caused him to sigh. Beary hadn’t heard him. Or if he had, he wouldn’t remember it in the morning. His response only from talking in his sleep.

Softly sighing, Henry went over to his bed climbed under the covers, and went to sleep.


	13. Part Thirteen - Arrested

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Officers Hamm and Cheets are back!

Dex frowned as he stared at the blue semi-transparent phone in his hand. He was finally getting everything he ever wanted – his room back, Beary gone, and no more bears in the family. Yet... Something felt wrong. He wasn’t as happy as he should be.

He set the phone back down in the receiver and glanced about the room. This was the second night without Beary, and the room was cold. It had been even colder when his parents had confronted him in his room, accusing him of being the one who made Beary leave. Saying that Beary’s birth parents abandoned him and didn’t want him.

But then they said something that surprised him. That they had a feeling who Beary’s parents were, and it all had something to do with why he was so fond of _The Country Bears_. They wove him a story of a fateful night’s drive and a drunk driver. That they believed that Beary’s birth mother died of her injuries, or was in a coma, as no news of her had been made after a while – they claimed last they heard was that she was in a coma.

When Dex had asked why they hadn’t just given Beary back to his father, his mother had replied with a simple “doing the wrong thing for the right reasons”. Dex accused them of kidnapping, but his parents denied it. They hadn’t kidnapped him. They had simply thought he’d be better off with them while medical bills were taken care of by the father – if it even was his father.

The teenager frowned again. He knew that despite what his parents were saying, they had unwittingly kidnapped the little bear cub when they failed to return him to his father. It explained a lot, actually, why they were so secretive with him. Why they pretended he was their son. Why there were no adoption certificates or anything – which begged to question how on earth they enrolled him in school; perhaps they had gotten guardianship and simply pretended he was adopted? It wasn’t that they didn’t want him to realize that he was adopted, it was so that they wouldn’t get in trouble! It all made sense now to the teenager. No wonder his family was crazy.

Of course, Dex had told all of this to Beary over the phone when he’d called, telling him that in reality, he’d never been adopted but kidnapped by his ‘adoptive’ family. The news seemed to work. Beary didn’t want to come back. In fact, he’d come up with some lame excuse about it, too, so that Dex wouldn’t know his pain. He claimed he was getting _The Country Bears_ back together for a couple benefit concerts on the next two Saturdays. Ridiculous.

The thing that surprised the human, though, was how much Beary defended it. Claimed it to be true. So either he was delusional or was actually telling the truth.

Dex thought back to what he had briefly heard James and Jade say, and came to the conclusion that Beary was indeed with the band. Of course he was. He got to go hang out with a famous band while Dex had to stay in his room, grounded! It wasn’t fair.

Then again, that band was all bears, and one was even a drinker. There were even rumors that one did drugs, and another was a big crybaby, while the last was just an egotistical jackass. Ha! Maybe Beary would realize that his so-called ‘heroes’ were nothing more than lamebrain, idiotic, flea-ridden bears that had no influence over anyone anymore!

But... why did he feel guilty? Why was the room so cold?

_.~*~._

Allison sighed as she pulled back the blankets of the bed with her husband as they readied themselves for sleep. She set some pillows down on the chest at the foot of their bed, and sat on the mattress, gently rubbing her pregnant belly. “Norbert? Do you think we did the wrong thing in taking Beary in all those years ago? Is Dex right? _Did_ we kidnap him?”

Norbert frowned and went around the bed to sit next to her. “Allie, of course we didn’t. We found him a month after that crash in the woods, barely surviving. He came to us when we called out to him. He wouldn’t even willingly go near the ranger, and definitely stayed away from him when he was picked up by the leg. I think he was probably made that the ranger put that strange collar on him when they first found him a week or two prior. They had made an effort to capture him, but to no avail. He’d gone wild.” He gently put an arm around her shoulders and his other hand on her belly, smiling with his little baby kicked. “We took him in when he had nowhere else to go.”

“He had a father, Norbert. We took him from his father.”

“The same father who stopped searching after little over a month. Plus, we don’t even know for sure that Beary is the missing cub!”

“Norbert, it even said in the newspaper article that his name was Beary! It had a picture, too! They matched, and we never came forward with him, nor did the ranger. Maybe we’re all at fault... Do you think he knows the truth?”

“Well, we did tell him he wasn’t adopted, which is true. We couldn’t adopt him legally, but we became his guardians. It’s lucky that the judge didn’t look too closely at him, otherwise...” Norbert shook his head. “Stop worrying about it. What will happen will. James said he’s with who we all know to be his birth father. He also says that Beary has no idea yet, and probably won’t guess, but that Henry Taylor, the boy’s actual father, does have a feeling.”

“And if he comes after us for taking him?”

“I’m fairly certain he will realize that we did the wrong thing for the right reasons, Allison. Do not fret. You’ll upset the baby.” He kissed her head lovingly. “We’ll rest up tonight. Tomorrow’s a new day where we can figure things out. We also... We need to apologize to Dex for our outburst. He was right all along. We never should have hidden things. He also was so jealous of Beary when we brought him home and gave him special attention. Maybe if we hadn’t, they would have become great brothers. Then again, he was the one who wanted Beary to stay... Maybe if we hadn’t interfered with their relationship, or had declawed Beary in his youth, Dex wouldn’t have become so afraid of him.”

Allison let her tears fall, miserable. She just hoped things would work out for the best.

_.~*~._

_Ding dong. Ding dong._

Dex groaned when he heard the doorbell at almost the crack of dawn. Who the heck was there so early?! Beary wouldn’t have come back!

Growling almost, Dex threw off his covers and stormed down the stairs, ready to tell off whoever it was at the door. He stomped down the stairs unhappily and pulled open the door. “WHAT?!” He drew back immediately when he found Officers Hamm and Cheets standing in the doorway. “Oh, great.”

Hamm looked at the teenager in amusement, while his partner shook his head. “Just wake up, eh, young buck?” Cheets asked.

Dex glared at the officer in annoyance. “Go away. Beary’s with _The Country Bears_. We don’t need you anymore.”

“ _The Country Bears_? Unlikely. He probably just told you that because they made him say it. He’s probably being held hostage right now.”

“At least he’s not making an idiot of himself like you two did at the car wash. Yeah, Sgt. Stone told us all about that.” Dex fixed a glare at the officers.

“James Stone?” Hamm asked in surprise. He elbowed his partner. “Dude, the Sarge knows what we did!”

“We should be getting a commendation for thinking outside the box,” Cheets responded.

Dex rolled his eyes. “Look, can you just go away? You two are incompetent.”

“Do not mock your elders, boy.” Cheets was starting to get annoyed with the teenager.

“I’ll mock those who deserve it, like the geniuses who decided to chase a bus through an _automatic_ _car wash_ ,” the teenager mocked, ready to close the door. “Besides, we don’t need to find Beary anymore. He’s not missing, as I’ve already told you. If anything, it’s his birth father that’s missing him, not my parents.”

“Birth father?” Hamm asked.

Dex stared. “You don’t actually think my HUMAN parents gave birth to a BEAR, do you?!”

“Of course not,” Cheets responded, though he had been thinking just that.

“Oh, for the love of... My parents kidnapped him when he was three!”

Hamm and Cheets both paused and looked at the teenager with concern. “Kidnapped?” Hamm asked, pulling out a notebook. “What do you mean ‘kidnapped’?”

“Just what I said. They found him a month after some car crash and never took him back to his birth father. They kept and they raised him.” Dex crossed his arms. Maybe this would finally make him not feel so guilty about things.

“Are your parents home, son?” Cheets asked.

“Uh, yeah? Hey, what are you doing?!” Dex was pushed aside as the two officers moved into his house and upstairs, guns drawn. What had he done?! They weren’t seriously going to arrest his parents, were they?!

He heard shouting, confused cries, and his mother’s cry of “I’m pregnant, you asshole!”. When he heard footsteps on the stairs, he quickly went and hid in the kitchen, actually frightened.

“Don’t worry, young buck,” Cheets said. “We’ll send Child Protective Services over to pick you up soon.” He led a crying Allison Barrington, in handcuffs, out to the squad car, with Hamm following with Norbert.

Dex stood stock still, stunned. What had he done?!

_.~*~._

Reed Thimple sat in his green office, staring at the model of _Country Bear Hall_ he had built in his spare time. He had made quite a few of these over the years, and whenever he got angry, he’d destroy them.

Now was one of those times.

“How dare you, Henry? After all we’ve been through, you’re going to betray me like this?” Reed studied the little model, and then opened his desk drawer and pulled out a few figurines of bears – four were very noticeably _The Country Bears_. He strategically opened the roof of the model building, put the four _Bears_ inside on the stage, and another couple on the side of the stage, and closed the roof again. He peered in through the little windows, smiling. “You and your precious band of bears. So cute. We had something special, Henry. Why’d you have to go and ruin it by getting those freaks back together? Why do you have to ruin my plan?”

He let out a silly giggle and stood up, shuffling over to his big door in just his vest, shirt, and boxers, wearing bunny slippers, and moonwalked back after making sure the door was locked. “Soon, you’ll be nothing but a distant memory! Even your company is going under, while mine is thriving! Maybe I’ll even buy out your company. That’ll teach you to mock me.” He grinned and went over to a shelf, intent on pulling out a picture of Henry to stare at.

He found the binder he was looking for, well-hidden and labeled after some business contract, and pulled it off the shelf and opened it. Inside were numerous newspaper clippings. He shifted through them, getting more and more angry as he read about _The Country Bears_ success, and Henry’s talented business.

And then at last, he came across an article dated back to May 29th, 1995. The article itself was about a crash on a country road involving two cars, but only one car was ever found. A hit-and-run that had left the driver of the other car in a coma, and a child was missing.

Reed turned on the light and took a closer look at the slightly grainy image of the missing cub and frowned. Why did he look so familiar? White face? Light fur? Wait...

The banker thought back to his visit to the _Hall_ a few days prior, trying to remember a few details. Then it hit him. The cubs. The cubs that had visited the building. One was golden, and the other was an older version of the missing Taylor cub.

“So, he survived after all... Where has he been all these years? No articles about him being found... That means he never went back to Henry. Someone took him in, perhaps? Does the boy know his linage? Is that why he’s come back now? Or perhaps he does not know, and it is mere coincidence.”

Reed picked up the binder and brought it back to his desk. He sat down in his oversized chair and propped his feet up on the metal desk. How was he going to stop this? Legally, he could not move up the date of the demolition, and his demolition expert was booked until the set date.

He needed a plan. All this started years ago when he’d been driving late one night and happened to spot Henry’s very familiar 1948 Willys Jeepster driving along one of the roads. He had seen in the moonlight a single driver with long hair, and knew it was Henry’s wife Helen. Not going to let such an opportunity go by, he ran her vehicle off the road, where it rolled and rolled and rolled until it reached the bottom of the steep hill, a smoldering wreckage.

Reed, having seen that the damage had been done, went down to check for survivors. He couldn’t get close to the female, but he had found a toddler stuck in a bush, looking very confused. Of course, he did what any sane person would do, and threw the cub into the river.

After that, he left the scene of the crime, his car all scratched up. The next day, he’d taken it to the shop, and had it repaired. That was when he’d saw the crash on the news. To his dismay, the she-bear hadn’t died in the crash, but survived and was in a coma. To his surprise, the only mention of the cub was made from speculation that he’d been thrown from the car during the crash.

Soon after, Henry sought out loans at the bank, using the _Hall_ as collateral, and the people that owned the bank before Thimple did gave him the money he needed for the medical bills. A few years later, Reed came into power, and had silently changed the contract of interest from .5% to 5%, and later claimed that Henry had merely misread it.

Slowly but surely, Henry started faulting on his loans and getting further and further behind, until he stopped paying altogether. Oh, Reed gave him the benefit of the doubt and let the debt grow and grow until Henry had no possible chance of paying it back, and then decided to take action when Henry was at his weakest.

But now those two cubs were there, and somehow got Henry hopeful about getting the dumb band back together for a benefit concert right before Demolition Day, and his stupid board of trustees had gone behind his back and told Henry that if he could raise most of the money on the first concert night, that he’d be given another chance to finish raising the money and pay off the debt!

He’d just have to deal with this problem personally. There was an abandoned warehouse the bank owned that would be demolished that weekend – the charges already set – with a big cage in the center of it. It would be perfect for getting rid of those pesky bears. All he had to do was find them.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his old friend. “Rip, hello again. Yes, yes, I have the money all ready for you. You’ll get it this weekend. Now, you’ve been in contact with Henry, right? Yes, good. Tell me, who do they have left to pick up? Ted? Do you know where he is? Atlanta? Very interesting... Yes, thank you. You’ve been most helpful, old friend. I will see you this weekend with your money.”

He hung up and grinned. Atlanta, eh? That’s where Ted was. If he recalled... Reed moved back to his desk and pulled out an envelope. Opening it, he read the invitation and smiled. A wedding, eh? Perfect. He knew they would be going there to get Ted. No doubt about it. That’d be the perfect place to nab them.

He reached under his desk and unhooked the remote for the giant weight that resided in his ceiling. With a touch of the button, it crashed down upon his desk, crushing the model _Country Bear Hall_ and all that resided within.

He got up and left his desk with the mighty weight, and carried out of his office his invitation. He had some stops to make.


	14. Part Fourteen - Life is a Highway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're off again!

Beary let out a pained yelp when someone suddenly jumped on him. He sniffed the air and came to the conclusion that it was Jewell that was on top of him. He opened his eyes, growled, and covered his head with a pillow. “Go ‘way!”

“Nope! Time to get up, Beary!” she laughed, jumping on top of him again. “Up, up, up, up!”

“Nuuuuuuu! You can’t make me!”

“I’ll kiss you again, mister!” Knowing he didn’t believe her, she lifted up the pillow and kissed him full on the lips. It wasn’t a romantic kiss, just a playful one that she knew would get him riled up.

Beary let out a startled screech and scrambled backwards in shock, falling off the bed, hitting his head on the wall, and getting stuck between the bedframe and the bathroom wall, his arms and legs at awkward angles.

Jewell, meanwhile, fell over on the bed laughing. Her laughter, of course, was joined by the rest of the adults, who had been gathered in the room for breakfast.

Trixie grinned and shook her head. “You get your mischievousness from me, that’s for sure, o daughter of mine.” She went over and scooped her daughter off the bed and hugged her. “You’re a little stinker, Jewell. Why couldn’t you have been more like your father? You’re going to give that poor boy a complex!” Trixie nuzzled her golden daughter and carried her over to Tennessee, depositing the troublemaker into her boyfriend’s arms. “Here. She’s your daughter now.”

Zeb snorted. “Just don’t give her your fashion sense.”

Tennessee glared at his old friend, while Trixie smacked Zeb’s ear with her paw.

Jewell laughed and snuggled with her father, but still felt a bit awkward about the whole thing. Her father was a crybaby and very sensitive. Even more than Beary. ‘ _But he’s **my** sensitive crybaby father_ ,’ she told herself and smiled brightly, kissing his cheek. ‘ _I finally have a Dad. A real Dad. Not an uncle-dad._ ’

Trixie smiled and went over to Beary, helping him out of his trap. “Ya know, kiddo, when a girl kisses you, it’s probably bad to react like that.”

“Yeah, especially when you’re sleeping with her!” Zeb called out.

“ZEB!” the others yelled, while Jewell looked confused.

Beary blushed and tried to stammer out a reply, but just fumbled over his words. He glanced over at the others, thoroughly embarrassed.

Henry shook his head. “All right, guys. Finish your meals. Roadie’s gone to get gassed up, and when he gets back, we need to get going.”

Fred glanced at him. “Are going to get Ted?”

“Yeah... I’m just not sure where to look for him. I’ll give him a call.”

Trixie shook her head. “Definitely not. You do that, and he’ll be on guard,” she warned. “I know where he is. Exactly where he is and when he’ll be there.” Noticing that everyone was staring at her, she elaborated. “Unlike the rest of you, Ted and I had no issues between each other. We got along and still do. In fact, Jewell’s met him a few times.”

Jewell nodded. “Not within the last couple years, though,” she pointed out.

“Very true.”

“Last time I saw him was when Helen and I named him the godfather for our youngest,” Henry went on. “He held up to that for a year or two, and then went AWOL.”

Trixie nodded. “That was when his stupid _Countrisco_ failed.”

“That was _him_?!” Zeb exclaimed, shocked. “That was the worst thing I’d ever heard!”

“Indeed,” the golden bear responded. “Henry, he’s the godfather of your cub, too?”

Tennessee blinked. “Too? You don’t mean...”

Trixie laughed. “Yes, Ted is Jewell’s godfather, too.”

Zeb pouted. “Why didn’t you ask me or Fred?”

“For one, Zeb, you’re a pervert and a drunk. As for Fred, when Jewell was born, he was unreachable. West coast, wasn’t it, Fred?”

Fred nodded somberly. “Married for a few years out there, then she left and took the cubs.” He sighed and shook his head. “Don’t get to see them often, but I try.”

“Wow...” Zeb was surprised, and then shook his head. “Anyway, you said you knew where the jackass is?”

“Swear jar!” Jewell chorused.

“Shut it.”

Tennessee glared at him.

“Yes, anyway, Ted and I have been hired to sing at a wedding at a country club in Atlanta. I have the invitation and everything. I was going to drive, but...” She grinned. “We can take the bus, and I can get all of you on the property as my backup band. However, when we get there, you must be on your best behavior. I don’t want a bad review, which could jeopardize future gigs. They’re paying me a small fortune. I was going to come back after the wedding and take you on a trip before the schoolyear started, Jewell. Ack! That reminds me, I better go call your aunt and let her know I have you!”

“No need. We sorta bumped into Uncle James after we escaped the cops by hiding in the car wash,” Jewell piped up. “And after that, we ate some of Fred’s brownies, and they were good!”

Trixie, who had been reaching into her handbag for her phone, paused. “Hiding... in the car wash... from the cops?” she repeated slowly. “Fred’s brownies?!”

As one, the older male bears backed away, all knowing of Trixie’s wrath when she gets mad.

Trixie, however, simply turned and lifted Jewell out of her father’s arms and asked her and Beary to go to hers and Tennessee’s room to get ready for the day. She made sure they had their backpacks before sending them out the door.

As the door closed behind the confused cubs, they both jumped when they heard Trixie yelling in rage at the other bears.

“What was all that about?” Beary asked Jewell, keeping a good distance between them. He didn’t want her kissing him again.

“No idea, but they really made her angry, it would seem,” his friend responded. “Why are you walking so far away? Was it because of that kiss? I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just playing!”

“I know you were, but it’s still... weird. Couples kiss. We’re not a couple, so why’d you kiss me?”

“Because I knew it’d get a reaction out of you, you tart.” She glanced at him. “I didn’t mean to upset you, if I did.”

“So we’re not dating then?”

“What? No! Gross! That’s grown up stuff!” She started laughing again as they reached the room door and opened it, frowning at the odd scent in the room. She noticed ripped up bedsheets and the bed being broken. “What on earth happened in here?”

Beary looked around at the devastation, and then at the claw marks on the wall, along with a smeared lipstick kiss. “I don’t know. Yeesh. Looks like they had a rough night.” He sniffed the air again. “Last time I smelled this scent, a few months later, Mom, I mean, Mrs. Barrington was pregnant.”

“Huh. Maybe it has something to do with the scent! I remember Uncle James and Aunt Tasha’s room smelling funny a few times like this, and then I got a cousin, and now she’s going to have another baby! Maybe they made a baby!”

“But how?” Beary asked as he wandered into the bathroom to get dressed.

Jewell thought while she waited for him, and shrugged. Once he had finished, she did the same, and upon returning, she packed up her stuff in her bag. “I’ll ask Mama about it.”

They went back outside in time to see Roadie pulling into the parking lot, and went over to him. “Hi, Roadie!” Jewell called as the human parked the bus and got off.

“Hey, kids. How’d you sleep?”

“Perfectly. Beary’s very cuddly,” Jewell responded.

“I had a weird dream last night,” Beary mentioned. “I don’t know why, but I dreamed that Henry said I was his son.”

Roadie paused and looked at him oddly. “Is that so?” he asked slowly. “Well, uh... You two get loaded up, okay?” Roadie didn’t wait to hear if they had anything to add, and instead left to go find the others.

Beary and Jewell shrugged and boarded the bus. They spent the next thirty minutes, while waiting for payment to be made – apparently there was a problem with Tennessee and Trixie’s room – playing their guitars or just talking.

By the time everyone got on board and they pulled out of the parking lot, it was nine in the morning.

After about an hour of traveling, Beary threw open a side window and leaned out of it, feeling the breeze in his fur.

Zeb snorted. “I wouldn’t do that too much, kid. Last time I did that, I was drunker than all get out and I fell out of the bus. The guys didn’t even realize it because they were too high to, and Henry and Helen were asleep, and Roadie wasn’t paying attention, and three hours passed before anyone came looking. Man, we used to parteh!”

Jewell frowned, while her mother shot Zeb a glare. “Party? Fell out of the bus? High?” Jewell looked at Beary in confusion.

Beary shared in her confusion, but didn’t care as much at the moment as he pulled himself back inside. “Henry...?”

The older bear looked up from where he had been reading a book in his chair with his reading glasses. “Yes?”

“What was Helen like?”

Henry blinked a few times, eyeing him curiously. “What brought this on?”

“I’m just curious, that’s all. Did you have any other cubs?” Beary didn’t want to tell him about his weird dream from the night before. What if he laughed at him?

“Yes, actually. Two others. Boy and a girl. Trista is our firstborn, and she has beautiful deep brown fur that reminded me of milk chocolate. Her eyes an emerald green. She’s thin and athletic. She loves animals, and it felt like she could speak to them. She’s become a vet up in the Yukon with a private practice and works with various animals, including some wild. Currently dating an Andean bear named Kai. They might be engaged by now, I’m not sure.

“Jacob, on the other hand, was a handful growing up. He’s daring, also athletic, a great swimmer, and crazy. He thinks jumping out of airplanes is fun! Crazy cub of mine. He’s twenty-two now and stationed up in Alaska as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard. He makes me proud, as I, too, once served the people. I was in Vietnam.” Henry smiled, thinking about his oldest cubs.

“What about your last one? What was his name?” Jewell asked. “The one that went missing.”

Henry froze. “I... Well...” He glanced around at the others, but they were staring at him expectantly. Henry frowned and shook his head. “His name was... is... I...”

Beary looked at him hopefully. Maybe he’d say his name! Maybe he’d tell him that his missing son was named Beary! Maybe he’d say that he was his father! Maybe his dream was true!

Jewell glanced at her friend, and then spoke to Henry. “Is it Beary? Is Beary your missing son? Dex told him that he was kidnapped sometime after a crash involving his birth mother, and you told us your wife was in a car crash! It adds up!”

Trixie frowned and took a closer look at Beary. “Of course... Why didn’t I see it before? Of course he is. He looks just like Helen’s fur pattern, but he has your facial structure.”

“He acts like the shy cat you used to be, Henry, when talking in front of crowds!” Zeb remembered.

“He’s as inquisitive as Helen,” Fred mused.

“And as emotional as me!” Tennessee put in, earning odd looks. “Wait, no. That’s not what I meant!” He started bawling.

“Stop being a crybaby!” Jewell scolded her father, who looked at her in surprise and stopped crying, earning a laugh from Trixie and Roadie.

Beary, however, took no part in it and simply looked at Henry with hope in his eyes.

Henry bit his lip and sighed. “Yes... Yes, Beary, I’m fairly certain you’re my missing son.” He held up his paw before the cub could react. “However, despite how sure I am, we won’t know for sure unless a paternity test is done. I didn’t want to say anything to you because I didn’t want to get your hopes up only to have them crushed by reality. I have bad luck that way... things not going my way. I...” He glanced away. “As much as I want it to be true and believe it to be true, fate has a cruel way of proving me wrong.”

Beary’s ears slowly flattened as Henry spoke, and he sighed softly, not listening totally. It would be just his luck to be rejected by his birth family. Abandoned. Rejected. Unwanted. “It’s okay... I understand, Henry. Sorry for bothering you...” Beary got up and moved to the back of the bus, taking his backpack with him and pulling out a sketchpad and some pencils, and began to draw.

Jewell frowned, but didn’t go to him, knowing he needed to be alone.

Henry, however, was surprised by the reaction. Had he said something wrong? His own ears flattened, and he turned to look out a window unhappily.

Zeb frowned, picking up on the unhappiness between the duo, and glanced at the others uncertainly. “Should we do something?” he asked Fred, who shrugged in response. “Fat lot of help you are.”

“Did you just call me fat?!” Fred looked at him, shocked.

Zeb’s eyes widened. “No! I didn’t mean it like that!” It was too late. Fred tackled him.

Trixie calmly pulled Jewell out of the line of fire and moved to the back of the bus as Tennessee somehow got involved in the brawl.

Up at the front, Henry didn’t even notice, too preoccupied in his thoughts. In the back, Beary looked up from his sketchbook, only to stare out the back window, his mind clouded by sorrow and sadness and wonder as to why he couldn’t have a family.


	15. Part Fifteen - The Wedding Singer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred isn't the only Bedderhead brother who ended up on a path different than the one dreamed

“That’s where Ted lives,” Trixie pointed out as they passed by a giant yellow mansion outside Atlanta, Georgia. “Roadie, we’ll be going to the Country Club. It’s another ten miles away.”

“Ted’s done pretty good for hisself!” Zeb exclaimed, looking out the window at the building.

“Why not borrow the $20,000 from him, Hen? Don’t look like he’d miss it much,” Fred laughed. Despite his annoyance with his brother, he was proud of how far he’d come, though it was odd... He’d not heard anything new from Ted in a while.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “You misunderstand. Ted boards a room there. That’s Elton John’s mansion.”

“Ted _boards_ a room?” Tennessee asked, shocked. “But he’s _Ted_!”

“It’s one of the guest houses!” Jewell exclaimed, jumping up on top of her father – earning a startled cry in response. “It has a garage, too, for his beat up truck! He sometimes polishes Mr. John’s limo! ”

The others glanced at each other in confusion, but shook their heads. They’d ask Ted when they saw him.

Henry glanced towards the back of the bus, where Beary had not yet moved. He was still sketching whatever it was he was sketching. Finally, Henry got up and moved to the back of the bus to sit with him. “What are you drawing, kiddo?”

Beary frowned. “Nothing. Just stupid stuff.” He snapped the notebook close and forced it into his backpack.

“Hey, now, stop that. What’s wrong?”

“How can you even ask that?” the cub questioned, turning away from him. “You rejected me, and you’re asking me what’s wrong?!”

Henry’s ears flattened. “What? Now wait a minute. That’s not what I did at all! I said I didn’t want to get your hopes up!”

“If you were really my father, you’d know it! You wouldn’t say you’d wait for a padernity test! You’d know right away! They all said that I am, and I heard you say it last night! I just want a family! A _real_ family!” he growled.

Henry had to force himself to not laugh at Beary’s mispronunciation of the word ‘paternity’, and frowned at the rest of the statement. “You heard me?”

“What do I have to do to be accepted?!”

“Oh, Beary, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was turning you away. What I meant was that I was afraid of the possibility that you _might_ not be my son. No matter how much I believe it to be true, a paternity test will prove it once and for all, and then no one can contest or debate it. I’ll be able to bring you back home with me and not get chased by the cops anymore. I may be sure you’re my lost son, but society may say otherwise.”

“Society sucks.”

Henry laughed and pulled the cub into an awkward hug. “It does indeed. I, uh... Are you sure you want me to be your Dad? Wouldn’t you want someone better?”

“Who’d be better than you? You’re the manager of _The Country Bears_!”

Henry frowned. “That’s the only reason?” He was hurt by that statement. Then again, he’d not been able to show Beary the kind of father he could be, either. They’d barely been together more than three days. In fact, it was only the middle of the third day! Friday, July 28th, 2002, one day before the first benefit concert.

“Well, no, but... I want a Dad who is goofy, fun-loving, playful, but smart and caring. Slow to anger, I guess, because I’m rather clumsy and tend to claw up the furniture. Uhm... I... You know? I don’t get it. It’s like I don’t want another Dad... I already have one. He did raise me, right? I don’t know what to do. I don’t believe that they kidnapped me. Why would they? Jewell’s uncle always said that kidnappers were bad people. They aren’t bad. They’re good! They didn’t have to take me in and alter their entire lifestyle, right?”

Henry tilted his head, listening to his speech. ‘ _Well, he’s smart, despite how he seems to behave at times. He knows how to be a good son. Loyal, too._ ’ He smiled thoughtfully. “If that’s what you believe, then I won’t take you from them. If you want to stay with them, then I will work something out, all right?”

Beary blinked. “I don’t have to choose?”

Henry pulled him into a hug. “You were born into one family and stayed for a while, and then was found by another who raised you. You have two families, and neither mean you ill. I would never make you choose, little one.”

The cub’s eyes widened at the embrace. At first he felt rather awkward by it, but as the moments passed he began to smile and snuggle up against the older bear happily. “Does this mean I can go visit them when we’re done here? Did I find my higher purpose, Henry? Oops, I mean, uh, Dad? Or, uh, something?”

Henry laughed. “You can call me Henry or Dad. You used to call me Papa, actually. Whichever makes you more comfortable. And yes, we’ll go for a visit. Hey, how about we pick them up before the concert, huh?”

Beary nodded eagerly. “Yeah!”

“That settles it. Now, do you want to come up to the front with the rest of us?”

“Uhm... sure!”

“Guys, we’re here,” Roadie called back as he put on the turn signal.

Trixie suddenly gasped. “Wait, no, Roadie. We need to go somewhere else, first, since we got here a couple hours early. Keep driving straight. We’ll be in Atlanta soon enough.” Trixie turned to the others. “You all are nowhere near dressed nicely enough for a wedding!”

“Aw, Trixie, no!” Zeb exclaimed. “Not shopping! Anything but that!”

_.~*~._

“I feel ridiculous,” Zeb grumbled as he straightened his new green velvet vest and matching tie that brought out the red of his fur. “I look like Henry!” He looked over at the older bear, who was wearing a silver vest with his golden necktie.

“Nothing wrong with that!” Henry retorted. “I mean, I did practically raise you.”

“Meh.” Zeb shook his head and looked at the others in the group. Tennessee was wearing a black vest and white tie, and Fred was wearing a nicer pair of pants, and Trixie had made him wear a vest, too. Even Roadie was dressed up in a suit and tie, and his chicken had on a little bowtie; his hair was brushed and put back in a clean ponytail.

Beary was wearing a black pair of pants and a silver velvet vest like Henry, along with a golden necktie to match, while Jewell, like her mother, was wearing a red dress with sequined silver patterns. Jewell’s dress, however, was shorter than her mother’s. Jewell’s hair was done up in a fancy braid with a few flowers woven it, and Trixie didn’t have to worry about her hair since it was so short.

Once they reached the gate of the country club, Trixie showed her invitation to the guard and explained that those in the bus were her backup singers, as the paper also showed that her band was asked to perform as well.

Finally, they were allowed through the gates, and Roadie found a place to park in the back of the parking lot. As the bears disembarked the bus and stood side by side, looking at the venue, they did a few last second corrections on their outfits. Zeb snuck out his hat and tightened his ponytail; Tennessee combed his highlighted hair and stood next to Trixie and their daughter; Trixie fixed up Jewell’s hair a bit better; and Henry turned to Beary and turned his untied necktie into a bowtie and combed his hair.

“You look very handsome, son. Your mother would be proud.” Henry smiled at him.

“She’d be proud of you, too, Papa.” Beary blushed a little, but grinned. “Maybe when this is over, I can meet her?”

Henry beamed and nodded, while Zeb let out a sarcastic “aaaaaawwwwwwwwww!”, which earned him a smack from Trixie.

Jewell laughed and went over to her friend, putting an arm on his. “Are you going to be my date?”

“Date?!” Beary looked at her in shock.

“You take dates to weddings,” Jewell explained. “Mama’s taking Daddy, and Fred’s taking Zeb-”

“I’m what?” Fred asked, surprised. “I may be bi, but Zeb is so not my type!”

“Aw, don’t you like me, big guy?” Zeb asked, moving closer to him, puckering his lips.

Fred put his paw against Zeb’s snout and pushed him away. “No.”

Jewell laughed and Beary looked flabbergasted at the thought.

Henry shook his head in amusement and clapped his paws together. “Best behavior, everyone. We are not going to embarrass Ted or Trixie here, since they are being paid. No fighting with each other, either. I won’t have you misbehaving in front of Beary and Jewell, understand?”

“Understood, Henry!” they all chorused.

Henry then turned to the cubs. “And you two behave as well, all right?”

“Okay!”

Trixie looked at all of them. “And try not to be spotted by Ted! I don’t need him yelling at me. Last of all, Roadie, can I get out Slydesdale?”

The males glanced at each other questioningly as Roadie opened the compartment beneath the bus and pulled out the shiny guitar case. “You play guitar now?” Tennessee asked, surprised.

“Of course. Learned from Ted several years ago. I still play keyboards, too. Anyway, let’s go!” Trixie took the lead, and Beary and Jewell followed eagerly behind her. The other members of the band followed, and Henry was at the end of the group.

Beary and Jewell looked around in amazement, and their noses began to twitch when they smelled the food. It didn’t take them very long to locate the buffet and begin to drool, but both hesitated, unsure if they were allowed to eat.

Trixie frowned thoughtfully. Normally only the wedding guests were allowed to eat. “I will ask, all right?” She turned to the others. “Stay out of the main wedding food. There may be a staff buffet you can eat at, but do not touch the main buffet. Beary and Jewell are the only exception. I mean it, Fred. You and Zeb behave yourselves or so help me.”

“Aw, come on, Trix!” Zeb laughed, wrapping an arm around his fellow tall bear’s shoulders. “We’ll be on our best behavior!”

“And no honey, mister!” Jewell accused, shaking a finger at him.

Zeb blinked several times and stared at her. “Great. Big Trix and Little Trix. Oh, joy. Both are going to be stubborn she-bears.”

“Good!” Jewell responded, while Beary tried his hardest not to laugh at the indignant look upon the fiddler’s face.

Trixie stood proudly. “Now then, Henry, you have them, right?”

“Of course I do. I’ll make sure they behave.” Henry looked at the adult bears.

Trixie smiled and led the cubs away through the crowd. Beary and Jewell stuck close to her as they weaved through the large party and waited while Trixie put her guitar case behind the stage and returned. “Ah, there he is.”

Beary blinked and turned around, eyes widening in disbelief when he saw a black bear in a purple bowtie and shiny golden coat with a purple hem talking to the bride and groom. “Is that really Ted Bedderhead?”

Trixie nodded. “The one and only. Come along.” She took both of their paws and led the nervous cubs up to the black bear.

“Uncle Teddy!” Jewell called when they got near enough.

Ted looked over at the trio in surprise. “Jewell? What are you doin’ here? Trixie, you told me you weren’t bringing her along. And who’s that?” He gestured at Beary before looking back at the bride and groom. “Excuse me, please. I will be right back with you.” He walked away, leading the three bears to a more isolated spot. “What in the world is going on?!”

“Well, uh, Ted... You know what? Let’s sit down, all right?” Trixie smiled, trying to hide her nervousness. She didn’t want him angry, but knew it would happen.

Beary looked up at him, and Ted stared.

“Is that Beary? What’s he doing here? You didn’t bring Henry and Helen, did you?!” Ted’s eyes filled with rage. “I swear, if you did!”

“No, I did not bring Helen, as she’s been in a coma for about seven years now,” Trixie responded.

“What? Coma? What are you talking about?”

“You really don’t know?”

“Mama was in a car crash,” Beary explained. “I got thrown into a river and ended up on a beach place near woods and was found a month later by a different family. I’ve only recently met my birth father again.”

Ted simply stared, startled. “I... wait, what?”

Trixie nodded. “That’s what Henry believes happened, too. Beary only recently learned the truth.”

“So why is he here and not with Henry?”

“Henry’s here, too, Ted. We need to talk. Beary, Jewell, why don’t you go fill up your plates at the staff buffet over there and get some food in you, all right? Be modest, but not birdish.” Trixie waited until the cubs left, and sat down with Ted at an empty table out of the way and began to explain everything.

At the end, Ted sat thoughtfully, mulling over this information as Beary and Jewell quietly ate their food at a nearby table, being as behaved as a pair of cubs could be. “At this point, I can’t really do any gigs without getting paid, Trix. I’m barely making it by as it is.”

“Is money really all you care about? Ted, they’re going to tear down the _Hall_! Henry and Helen’s home! It was your home for decades! You can’t tell me you don’t want to help out!”

“But the band... You know they’ve not changed one damn bit. From what you’ve told me, Zeb’s still drinking, Tennessee’s still a psycho crybaby, and Fred’s still... Fred. If we got back together, it’d just make false hope that we’ll stay together. I don’t want to go back to that. I meant it when I said I was finished.”

Trixie frowned at her old friend, and studied the graying hair on his head. “You think you’re too old to be in a band? To go on adventures again? Come back to the _Hall_. Henry tells me that all the cabins are there, and have been well kept up. You could live there again and setup your workshop. You don’t have to pay rent. We can all be a family again, Theodore.”

“No. The _Bears_ were never a family. Not the way we all acted. We were young and stupid and bullheaded, not to mention the drinking and the pot and the therapy sessions... It was ridiculous, Trixie, and you know it!”

“You also gave me a home, Ted. All of you invited me with you, along with my little sister. Because of the _Bears_ I was able to send her to medical school. She’s a highly acclaimed doctor in Nashville, and I’m so proud of her. If it wasn’t for all of you, I don’t know what would have happened to us. I never would have met Tennessee, and my little girl wouldn’t have been born.” Trixie smiled as she looked over at her daughter, who was picking mashed potatoes out of Beary’s hair after a drunk reception goer spilled his plate of food and the potatoes landed on Beary’s head. “Heck, Beary might not have been born, either. You never know.”

“That may be true, Trixie, but come on. Look at us. We’re old. None of us can keep up with those young bands nowadays. It’s impossible.” Ted sighed and shook his head unhappily. “I don’t want to see them. When we broke up, it was a mess. I don’t want those old feelings back. Please.”

“Ted Bedderhead saying ‘please’? Wow, you have changed. But what about the concerts? This is the Taylors last chance. Think of Beary. He’ll be homeless.” She knew that wouldn’t be true, as Henry and Beary could just move into another cabin, but she wanted Ted to think.

Ted frowned. “I’ll think about it and give you my answer after the reception, all right? Let’s not ruin this day for the happy couple with our squabbling, all right?”

Trixie nodded in agreement.


	16. Part Sixteen - Hostages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing can ever be simple, can it?

Ted was furious. As soon as the reception was over and he and Trixie had done their parts, he gathered up the others by their ears. His pay was being docked because of his “friends”, who could not keep together and behave like adults.

Zeb he had found lying on the bar counter with a drink nozzle in his mouth, guzzling honey. Fred he had found devouring the buffet and eating a giant fish whole. Tennessee was talking to any couple he could find and telling them how lucky they were to be together. Henry had been the only decently behaved adult bear of the group. Even Roadie had been appalled, though he was to blame as well, as he’d lost track of his chicken who had chased guests around and then caught by a chef who wanted to cook the poor thing.

Trixie was also furious with the group, and had rightly chewed them out before Ted got to them. Beary and Jewell, meanwhile, were off to the side, out of trouble, as they had behaved very well.

"What- What- What- What makes you think I'd get back together with you guys?" Ted growled angrily, staring his former friends down after he put away his guitar. "Look, that's where I started out," Ted continued, trying to stay calm. "I'm not goin' back. When I said I was finished, I meant it. I'm finished! You lot have shown me that only have you not changed, but that you are even worse than before! Even the cubs were behaving better than you, and they’re cubs!"

"But," Jewell said, stepping forward towards him, feeling bad.

Ted let out an annoyed growl and glared at her. “Not now, Jewell.”

"Mr. Bedderhead, we... we need everyone to make this happen, and we need you!" Beary piped in.

The others nodded at the cub's words.

Ted shook his head. "Now, listen, kids. I was going to do it. Really, I was. But after this, there’s no way in hell I’m going to play with these immature idiots again! Because of them, I’m not getting my promised pay. Even Trixie is getting docked. There was damage, caterers had to be paid to bring food for the people that didn’t get any because of Fred, for the honey that was stolen by Zeb, and for the annoyance that was Tennessee! Hell, they were angry about the damn chicken, and Roadie almost hitting the chef!”

“He wanted to kill my chicken!” the long haired human complained, holding Mr. Chicken close.

“You brought a chicken to a buffet serving fish and chicken! It’s your own damn fault!”

“How was I supposed to know they were barbarians?!”

Trixie groaned and rested her head against her paw while the duo argued. “Thank the gods you two get along better than they do,” she muttered to Beary and Jewell, who simply stared at the arguing adults.

“Fine. You want me to join you guys? Answer my questions. Who’s doing sound? Have you rehearsed? What songs you gonna do?” Ted demanded.

“Well,” Fred began. “We ain’t exactly figured out all that yet, Ted.” It was true after all. They hadn’t really discussed it. It was usually Ted that made all the decisions.

Ted let out an exasperated sigh. “Same old _Country Bears_.”

“Come on, Ted!” Zeb intruded, annoyed. “You do kinda owe us. I mean, you were the reason we broke up.”

The black bear’s ears flattened and his eyes darkened. He turned away and threw his arms up to the air and growled. “Yep! There it is! Knew that was comin’ up!” Turning back to them, he snarled. “I’m the reason we stayed together, Zeb! And did any of you ever thank me?! No! Only Trixie had any sort of decency and respect for others. You all had your heads up your asses!”

“We all had our jobs to do, Ted,” Zeb pointed out while Fred and Tennessee nodded in agreement.

Trixie groaned. Why couldn’t he just shut up? He was making things worse!

Ted, however, surprised her by agreeing, but not in the way she expected. “Oh, right! Drinking! Blubbering! Staring into space high as a kite!” he growled, point at each one of the older bears.

“Hey,” Fred pouted unhappily. He didn’t like it when his older brother picked on him.

“What we were was _years_ ago, and unlike the rest of you, I matured,” Ted finished.

“Blubberin’? I-I...” Tennessee began, looking around helplessly.

“Well, you were blubberin’!” Zeb accused, looking at him, trying to divert away from his drinking problem.

Tennessee growled at him, and Fred had to put his arms between them.

“Yeah, yeah, okay here,” Tennessee replied. It was true, though. He usually was crying. He was the more emotional of the bears, which is why all the girls seemed to love him, something that the others had always been jealous of. “At least I’m not having one night stands with some tramp that end in failed marriages!”

Zeb balled his fists and got ready to fight, raising his arms. “Don’t you dare talk about Méngméng like that! She was not a tramp!”

Beary jumped in between them. “He-hey, you guys! Hey, hey, hey! Stop this!”

Ted shook his head and looked down with an exasperated sigh. He had just proven his point, now that the bears were back to being squabbling buffoons.

Jewell watched from the safety of her mother’s arms, surprised that Beary was actually getting into the mess. “Mama, is he going to be okay?”

“Any of them hurt him, and they’re going to be dealing with Henry,” Trixie responded. “He’d whoop all their butts... but he doesn’t look much like has the strength anymore...” Even she could see that Henry was starving, even if his belly looked full.

“Hey! You guys!” Finally getting their attention, Beary continued with his small speech. “You know, in _People_ magazine, April 1983, you all said that the _Bears_ were your family. And like a family-”

Ted abruptly cut him off. “Kid, that was just a bunch of meaningless publicity! You don’t know nothin’ about the **real** _Bears_ , understand? Nothing! We are not a family! Look at us! We all hate each other. This fieldtrip is pathetic. Henry can rebuild. Sure, it won’t be as grand, but he doesn’t need that anymore. He needs to settle down and raise you right. Obviously paying hospital bills and taking care of a business _and_ trying to pay back his loans is not working out! The fact that he had to resort to getting this sorry lot back together is ridiculous! Look at us, boy! Do we look like a family to you?! Do we even look like we’re friends?!”

The other bears stared at Ted in shock. Fred had to hold Henry back from attacking the bear for being so rude to his son and for insulting him.

Hurt filled Beary’s hazel eyes as his ears flattened. “You’re right...” he muttered, glancing at them all as he continued. “This isn’t a family.” He turned back to Ted, ignoring the surprised looks he was receiving from the others. “A family is made of people that love you no matter what. I had that, and I threw it away. I had parents who took me in despite us being different species.

“I had a family that went out of their way to make accommodations for the bear in their lives. Who bought a new car for me to be able to sit in. They redid their entire bathroom because my fur kept clogging up the drain. They showed me love when they didn’t have to. My brother doesn’t like me at all, but I can understand why. He sees me as another bear, and after seeing how you all behave I now know why he’s so afraid of me.”

Beary turned to Henry. “I’m sorry, Papa, but I want to go back to them. If this is what being a bear is all about, then I don’t want any part of it.” Without another word, Beary turned and left the assembled group of shocked bears, not wanting to see the hurt on his birth father’s face.

Jewell let out a whine and pulled away from her mother, going after him, only to be stopped by her father. “No! Let me go! Let me go to him!” she cried, struggling against him.

“No, Jewell. Not this time,” Tennessee murmured. “I... I don’t want you around him, all right? He’s confused and conflicted, and I believe you are making it worse. He needs to sort out what he wants to be: A human in a bear’s body, or just a bear.”

“Beary is Beary! How can you say that?” she asked, struggling. “He’s my friend, and I won’t let him be in pain alone! If that’s how you’re going to be, then I hate you and never want to see you again!” With a battle cry, she bit down on his arm and ran off when he released her.

Tennessee, being Tennessee, started to cry.

Trixie sighed and sat down with a shake to her head. “It was supposed to be such a simple thing... And then you dunderheads had to go and ruin it!” She turned to Ted. “And you! Yelling at Beary like that. Don’t think that didn’t have a part to play in all this, Theodore Bedderhead!”

“What? But they’re the morons who were being completely immature! Did you not see what they were doing?!” Ted asked, surprised.

“Oh, I did for sure. I saw Zeb guzzling down the honey. I saw Fred eating the buffet after I told him not to. I saw Tennessee annoying my customers as well. My pay got docked, too, because of the damages. I have just as much right to be cross with them as you do. Especially since Zeb ruined the vest I got him! They made a mockery of themselves and made no fans here to spread the word of the benefit concert. However, unlike you, I did not berate them in front of the cubs. I shielded Beary and Jewell. You did not.” Trixie shook her head unhappily. “And now my baby girl is mad at her father and is saying things she doesn’t mean. And Beary’s even more confused than before!”

Ted frowned, ears falling flat. “I know I shouldn’t have yelled in front of the cubs or gotten after Beary’s delusions of grandeur, but come on, Trixie. You have to admit that this is a sorry lot. The only one of them who behaved at all was Henry! And even he couldn’t keep them in line!”

“No, I couldn’t,” Henry admitted. “I got lost in my memories, that’s all. And now... Now I’m going to lose my boy all over again. I never should have agreed to their idea of getting the band back together. I knew deep down it wouldn’t happen, and yet I built up their hopes. I should have just returned them home while I had the chance.”

“Yes, Henry, you should have.”

Henry whipped around and let out a growl. He knew that snake-y, oily voice. “Reed.”

As one, the others turned around, eyes widening in surprise. Two people, a tall polar bear with multiple piercings and a human in a suit, stood side-by-side. Reed had his arm around Beary’s neck with a gun to his head and the polar bear held Jewell by her long hair, his other large paw holding the bottom of her jaw, ready to twist and snap her neck like a toothpick.

Trixie bared her teeth and snarled. “Release my daughter!” Her claws were ready for mauling. How dare someone lay a paw on her precious child?! She could see the pain Jewell held in her eyes from her hair being yanked up like it was.

“Oh, this is your brat?” Reed looked at the golden cub for a moment. “Huh. Well, I have no quarrel with her or you. Go ahead and release her, Kumoko. Wait, no; on second thought, two hostages are better than one. Maybe her parents will listen to me better. At least, I’m assuming that crybaby oaf is her father. Shocking, actually, that he would even know where to stick it.”

Tennessee blinked a moment, but then what the banker said dawned on him and he growled angrily, though Zeb snorted and laughed.

“Oh, you have no reason to laugh, either. From the tabloids I read, you got married, but because of your drinking you got ditched by your wife and child. Figures. You’re not better than he is. Tell me, how many other illegitimate children do you have? Ten? Twenty? I’m sure quite a few. You drunkards are all the same,” Reed said smugly. “Find a hot date, shack up with them in a motel, and call it good.”

“What? I never betrayed her!” Zeb was appalled and angry.

“You certainly jumped her bones quick enough, from what’s been told. Or was she just some whore you picked up off the street?”

“Zeb, don’t!” Fred cried as the auburn bear charged at the banker.

_Bang!_

Zeb pulled back at the pained scream that erupted from Beary as he tried to get away from the banker, only to be grabbed up by the polar bear.

Jewell looked at her friend’s bleeding ear in horror. “You... You gave him a holey ear!”

“Yes, he is _so_ blessed. Now he has a battle scar. Hell, how do you know he isn’t covered in scars already? Most bears are. Plus, being thrown from a car as a cub? Amazing.” Reed grinned and studied Beary’s new ear hole and the blood that ran down it, even going as far as to stick a finger through and pull back out. “Not bad, not bad. No big damage. He’ll still be able to hear, maybe, from that side. Who knows?” Reed straightened and looked over at Henry, who was being forcibly held back by all the bears and Roadie. “Ah, so that does prove it. He _is_ your boy. Then again, from the sounds of things, he doesn’t _want_ to be yours any longer. Oh well. Get on the bus. We’re going to go for a little ride. Move! All of you!”

Grudgingly, the others began to move, all taking a look at Beary while keeping Henry from attacking the deranged man for they knew any move against the banker would result in Beary and Jewell being crushed by the polar bear.

Beary tried to fight back his tears, but failed. Who wouldn’t when they’re ear now had a hole in it and was gushing blood? That, and the fact that his hearing was nearly obsolete on his right side, and on his other it was questionable. Everything was muffled and quiet.

Jewell stared at her friend, wondering why he wasn’t responding to her. “Beary? Ow! Hey!” She growled a bit as she was roughly pushed along towards the bus. She glared furiously at the human walking before her. He had hurt her friend! She tried pulling away from the polar bear Kumoko, but to no avail. He held her tighter than ever by the hair. So she did the next best thing – she kicked Reed between the legs.

The human howled and fell to his knees in pain. “You damn bitch!” He swung his arm wildly around and fired the gun, but it did not hit his intended target, as she had been kicked out of the way.

Beary let out another cry of pain as the bullet hit him in the leg.

In an effort to keep the squealing cub upright, Kumoko let go of Jewell, who used the opportunity to jump at Reed. She was scared, of course, but he had hurt her friend, and she wasn’t going to stay back and cower! Her teeth sunk into the human’s shoulder, earning a pained scream from him.

Before serious damage could be done, Kumoko dropped Beary and grabbed Jewell away, forcing her jaw close as he growled with fury. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal and leather muzzle. Once he had her, he forced the muzzle onto her face, and wrapped the final strap around her neck to keep her from pulling it off. “That was a stupid thing you did,” he stated, pulling her back and picking up Beary. “You are in trouble now.”

Reed glared at the she-cub furiously. “How dare you!” He reached up and rubbed his bleeding shoulder. “I should have you written up for assault!” He looked at his partner. “Get them on the bus. Leave the boy with me. You keep the others in line.”

Kumoko nodded and walked forward, following the human almost like a puppy, pushing Jewell along and practically carrying Beary. The bus leaned greatly as he climbed on, but balanced back out shortly when he sat down after shoving Jewell over to the other group of bears. He kept his paw on Beary’s shoulder and forced him to sit on the floor.

Reed followed last and sat in Henry’s chair. “We’re all going on a little ride, mongrels. If you behave, no one will get hurt. But if you misbehave, this brat is the one that suffers, got it? And no removing that muzzle from that bitch! You do, and I’ll shoot her!” He looked at Roadie. “DRIVE!”

Roadie gave an unhappy nod and turned on the engine, driving away from the country club.

Trixie shifted her daughter behind her, her forest green eyes narrowed with hatred. She wanted to attack him, but with that polar bear bodyguard he had, it would be impossible. They were stuck.

Henry stared at his fallen son, heartbroken at the injuries he’d received. “Beary, everything’s going to be okay. I promise,” he called, ears flattening when Beary didn’t even seem to take notice of him. Was he ignoring him? Or was it something else?

He could only pray that everything would be all right.


	17. Part Seventeen - The Armpit Farter's Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says it all

Beary was getting despondent. His vision was swimming, and everything was muffled. The pain in his ear was nothing to his leg. A soft moan left his lips as he tried shifting, but had no strength left. He felt a pinch on his shoulder, but lowered his head, having trouble holding it up.

Kumoko frowned, studying the cub’s behavior and the blood pooling on the floor. They had been on the road for an hour, and while people had behaved, things were still very tense. “Sir, I believe this cub is badly hurt. Should we not seek medical treatment?”

“No. He is far too valuable as a hostage.” Reed looked down at the cub as he patched up his own wounds with an old First Aid kit. He looked in the kit and found nothing left, as he had used it all up on his minor injuries. He looked down at where the gathered bears were. “You, gold one, come here.”

Trixie looked up with hatred at the human. “I have a name, not that you’re worthy of speaking it,” she spat.

“Don’t test me. Get up here and fix this stupid cub before he bleeds to death. He’s lucky he kicked that daughter of yours out of the way, or she would have gotten it in the gut.” Reed shook his head. “Foolish.”

Trixie frowned. She hadn’t seen that bit, but looking over at her muzzled daughter, curled up in her father’s arms because her side hurt, she knew it was true. “Fine... I will come up.” She glanced over at Henry, who was in the very back and forcibly restrained by Ted, Fred, and Zeb. “Henry, give me your necktie, please.”

The older bear removed the golden necktie and passed it to Ted, who passed it to Zeb, who finally passed it to her. Trixie then got up and slowly walked down the bus and knelt in front of the polar bear. Immediately, she could see that Beary was in bad shape.

“Sanatore, have mercy,” she murmured. “Lower him flat. Do it!” She waited until the polar bear did as asked and then began to feel the cub’s leg, seeking where his injury in his leg was. She found an entry wound, but it was barely bleeding. However, the exit wound going through his upper thigh was nasty. Finding the full source of the bleeding, she slipped the golden necktie around his leg, trying to keep what blood she could within his body. She glared at Reed, who had used far too many bandages for his minor wound, but didn’t ask for any of them back. No point in contamination. “This should have been dealt with an hour ago! You’re lucky he’s not dead, for if he was, not even your bodyguard could save your life!”

Reed, in return, pointed the gun at her head. “No funny business, bear.”

“I would never purposely endanger a child,” she responded shortly. She looked down at Beary’s face, trying to get him to stay awake. “Beary? Kiddo, it’s me, Trixie. Can you hear me?” She snapped her finger, hoping to get a response, but only one of his ears flicked. As if he couldn’t hear her on the right side... the same side with the bullet hole in it. “Oh, damn it all,” she whispered. Gently, she stroked his head, sorrowful at his pained whines. “Easy, little one...”

Beary opened his eyes and looked up at her. “Jewell...?”

“No, honey. Not Jewell.” Trixie shook her head. She knew Beary wanted her daughter, but she didn’t want to bring her daughter forward. She couldn’t bring herself to do that. “Please, don’t ask me to bring Jewell here...”

To her sadness, Beary continued to cry out for his friend. Trixie whimpered and continued stroking his head.

_.~*~._

Henry looked out the window as they traveled through the city. They were back in Nashville, but he was nervous still. Trixie was still trying to get Beary to stay conscious, and, from what Henry could hear, the cub was drifting in and out of the waking world.

Henry wanted to rip Reed to shreds, but didn’t dare attack. Reed still had his gun and his polar bear bodyguard.

The older bear was surprised that such a bear would be helping out the deranged human, but figured that Kumoko was being paid big bucks by the banker. It was no wonder why he’d turn on his own kind. But to allow a child to be hurt? How cruel could you be?

He turned his focus back to his band – if he could call them that – and found Fred eating more brownies (‘ _when’d he get the time to make those? Or did he already have them?_ ’ Henry wondered), Ted muttering angrily to himself, Zeb wishing he had honey, and Tennessee consoling his muzzled daughter. He then looked up at Trixie and his son, his heart heavy. As soon as he was able, he was going to get Beary as far from here as he could. Take him back to his human family where he would be safe.

Finally, Reed directed Roadie into what appeared to be an empty lot with a big chain link fence around it. Shortly, they arrived inside what appeared to be some kind of warehouse and parked.

Henry watched solemnly as Beary was lifted up by the polar bear and carried off the bus after Reed and Roadie got off, and Reed ordered the rest of them off before he started shooting again.

One by one, the bears filtered off the bus, walking in a straight-ish line through the warehouse and into a large metal cage in the center.

“I am definitely changing banks,” Henry snarled at the human, furious, but also knowing that if he spoke too harshly, further harm might be done to his son.

“Oh, I hate to lose a customer as foolish as you,” Reed retorted. Once the others were in, he spotted Jewell cowering in the corner. “Oh, you poor dear. Are you scared?” He didn’t taunt her very much, afraid of her attacking him again. “Tell you what, I’ll let them release the muzzle when we’re gone.”

“We?” Henry asked. “You give me my boy!”

The banker thought for a moment and glanced over at Beary. “Hm... Should I? Or should I just drop him into a river? I could do that. Make it a quick death. He looks like he’s almost there already. Hey, maybe he’ll join his mother in a coma. Still don’t know how she survived being pushed off the side of the road.”

Henry’s head shot up. “Pushed? What do you mean?”

“Duh. It wasn’t just a hit and run. That stupid bitch of yours should have died that night.” Reed rolled his eyes and looked at Kumoko. “Toss him in. Let him die with his ‘heroes’ watching. Hell, give them their instruments, too. That’d be great. They can have one last concert together.”

Kumoko frowned a little and looked down at the cub in his arms. “Sir...”

“Do as I say! I will write off your family’s debt, remember? That was our agreement.”

Kumoko’s ears flattened and he sighed softly. He walked into the cage and gently set Beary down before backing out. “Of course, sir. Sorry, sir.” He then left to the bus and gathered up the instruments, taking his time – hoping that the band would overrun Reed – and brought them back, setting them down and leaving.

Reed slammed the cage door shut and locked it with a mighty key.

Henry immediately moved over to his son and lifted him up and away from the human and polar bear.

“Why are you doin’ this?” Fred asked.

Thimple looked at him, surprised at the question. “Why?”

Beary, delirious, decided at that moment to be a smartass and spoke sarcastically. “That’s what he asked, genius,” he slurred.

The _Bears_ and Roadie all winced at the light brown furred cub’s sarcastic reply. Henry tightened his hold on him, whispering soothingly and begging him to be quiet.

“Why? You ruined my life!” Reed shouted, his voice echoing in the semi-empty warehouse.

“What are you talking about?” Henry questioned, finally glancing up at the banker warily.

“I can’t let you have that show and ruin what I’ve been working on for thirty years!”

“Thirty years?!” Henry blinked. Hadn’t the band only been around for seventeen years? And broken up for ten? Why did he say thirty? Had he miscounted?

“I’ve been plotting and slowly rising to the top of the food chain, waiting for my chance to destroy the place that brought me misery. To destroy the bear that ruined my family.” He took a step towards them. “Finally my day came, but then this little pain in the ass came along and nearly ruined everything!” His voice had risen to a shout as he aimed the gun once more at the cub’s head. “I told you twenty-seven years ago that I would have my revenge.”

Henry’s eyes widened in recognition as the memory of a teenager saying similar words came to mind. “Oh my word! You’re Benny Boggswaggle!” he accused.

“The armpit farter!” Zeb exclaimed.

“Ew...” the others groaned as they all took a step back.

“A sweet, innocent kid,” Thimple went on.

“You hit me with a chair!” the former honeyaholic then stated.

“Yes, I did. All part of my plotting,” Thimple, now revealed to be Benny Boggswaggle, growled. “And I started it about seven years ago when I ran your wife off the road. Oh, seeing your jeepster was so obvious. Stupid fool, driving that around every day. That your youngest was inside was just an added bonus. Yet, somehow he survived being thrown down the embankment.

“I was very surprised when I found him in a bush, but alas, how cruel would it have been to leave him there alone? He’d be dead by morning, most likely, picked off by some wild animal. So I did the only humane thing I could think of and picked him up. Oh, he squirmed. I actually thought about keeping him, raising him to hate you, but then the little brat bit me, so I did what anyone would do. I threw him in the river, hoping he’d simply drown.”

Henry was shaking with anger as full understanding of what Thimple had done dawned on him. He passed Beary over to Fred and slammed his paws on the cage walls, rattling them. “You son of a bit-”

“Now, now, no need to bring my mother into this,” Reed cackled and smiled. “Maybe I’ll pay your wife a visit, too, hm? Let her join you in death. Oh, you don’t understand? Look around you on the pillars. Yes, that’s right. Bombs. This place is set for demolition in just a few hours. And you all just happen to be in the heart of it! No one will find you here.” He backed away from the cage door. “Enjoy watching another one of your family member’s suffering!” He laughed and left the warehouse.

Kumoko looked back at the caged bears and then at the fleeing human sadly, before returning his gaze to the cage. “If... If you can work together, you can get out of here. Or... Or if you have a phone...” He bent down, pulled something out of his pocket, and slid an object in a small opening under the cage. Quickly, he righted himself and left.

“Papa...?”

Henry, after picking up the small device and passing it over to the nearest person – who happened to be Jewell as she was walking back to a corner – slowly turned and looked at his son, who Fred had set on some rags that Zeb and Ted had made into a makeshift bed of sorts. Trixie was knelt beside him, tearing her dress to make a new bandage, as the other was completely bled through, and replaced the bandage, frowning.

“Henry, he’s in really bad shape,” she murmured, getting up.

Henry looked her over, noticing that the golden fur on her paws had been stained red with blood. “I... I know he is.” The pepper bear sighed and looked over at Jewell, who was sitting on the floor away from the group. “You... You should go check on her. I’ll sit with him.”

Trixie nodded and moved over towards her daughter, shooting Tennessee a look as he bawled, and knelt down beside her, glancing back to see Henry taking a seat next to Beary and softly talking to him. “Jewell? Are you okay? Wait, hold on. Let me get this damn thing off of you.” She started fiddling around with the leather and metal muzzle, finally managing to unlatch it and free her child of it. She then tossed it aside. “Honey?”

“It’s my fault... If I... If I hadn’t attacked him and been so bearish, Beary wouldn’t have kicked me out of the way and gotten shot again. Why... Why did he do that, Mama?” Jewell asked softly, staring at her cupped paws and paying no mind to how much her side her.

“Because he’s your friend and he cares about you. You are family to him. Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what.” Trixie smiled a bit. “No family is perfect. We argue, we fight. We even stop talking to each other at times, but in the end, family is family. The love will always be there.”

Ted frowned, thinking on Trixie’s words, his mind floating back to what Beary had said earlier, that a family loves each other. He then traveled back to 1983 during an interview with _People_ magazine, where the band had stated they were a family and meant it. “I... I’m sorry. Fred, Zeb, Tennessee... I was wrong. About everything. I forgot what things were like before we... before _I_ got greedy and wanted more money. I was selfish. I was angry that things weren’t going my way. Zeb, I should have stepped in and stopped Rip from taking you to those bars all the time. I should have intervened long ago. Tennessee, I should have listened to your worries and fears, and comforted you as best I could. Fred...” Ted frowned, staring at his brother.

“Fred, I’m sorry for the fight we had that drove us apart. You’re my brother, and I threw that away. And for what? To go off on my own and become a has-been? A wedding singer? Even rich people’s children’s birthday parties. Every time I sang, I found myself wishing you were there beside me. You’re my baby brother. We’re a unit. I’m sorry.”

Fred smiled a little. “Aw, brother, you finally apologized for being a jerk! I’m so proud of you.” He went right over and picked up his older-but-smaller brother and snuggled him tightly.

“Ack! Fred! Put me down!”

“Nope. You’re gettin’ hugs.”

Zeb laughed a little. “Cute. I... I have regrets, too. Not just with the band, but with my personal life after it. When I met Méngméng, I had it all. A beautiful girl by my side, honey, and some money. Not to mention the wild se- er, I mean, wild time in bed.” He glanced sheepishly over at Trixie. “Sorry. Anyway, I threw all that way a few years after my boy was born. Money was getting tight, and I was getting frazzled, and started drinking more and more. People would buy me drinks, see, ‘cause I was famous and all. I just got drawn more and more in. Méngméng finally got fed up with me. She packed up Fēnglì and took off. I came home in the middle of the night to find them gone.

“I... I had a chance to be happy, ya know? Start fresh. She even got me off the drinking for a bit, but one night... One stupid night, I went to a bar and got recognized.” Zeb sighed. “I regret it so much. It just opened a waterfall. But now that I’m back with you all, I thought that maybe I could fix things with us...” He started to cry. “But looking at where we are and surrounded by bombs, I don’t think I’m going to get the chance!” He walked over to Fred, and was pulled into the bear hug as well.

Tennessee blubbered a little and looked at Trixie. “I should have come for you sooner. I should have listened instead of sending you away, baby. I should have stayed close and helped you achieve your dream to be a singer. But I was a fool. I threw away what I had, and missed out on my daughter’s cubhood. I so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?”

“Tennessee, if I hadn’t forgiven you, we wouldn’t have torn up that room on our reunion night,” Trixie laughed.

“Speaking of...” Jewell smiled. “Am I getting a brother or a sister?”

Trixie stammered, not sure what to say. Tennessee simply started laughing as he pulled his daughter up to his arms and hugged her tightly, loosening his grip at her soft cry. Trixie got up and joined them. Fred, not wanting to be denied a big group hug, had Zeb pull all three other bears into his group’s hug.

Henry, meanwhile, smiled sadly at the group before turning his attention back to his child. “We’ll get out of this, Beary. I promise you.” He gently brushed back Beary’s hair, trying to soothe him the best he could. He knew if they didn’t get out of here, Beary would die. Then again, they all would, with those bombs.

He shook a little from fear. His poor boy was suffering. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t protect you. I failed.”

Beary looked at him pitifully, trying to figure out what exactly he was saying. Slowly, he looked around uncertainly. “Phone? Jewell, phone Dex... tell him tracker... tracker. Use tracker...”

Henry frowned. Tracker? What was the cub talking about? “Jewell?” Henry turned to look at her. “Jewell, do you have a phone?”

The she-cub and nodded and opened her paws, revealing the phone Kumoko had slid into the cage. It was her phone that the polar bear had taken earlier. “I don’t know how much battery I have left. We can only make one call, I think. Or, wait! I’ll text!” She opened it and went to messages, immediately starting to type as carefully as she could. Once finished, the hit SEND. She just prayed that the message would get to him as her phone died.


	18. Part Eighteen - The Tracker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex is back!

Dex frowned as he paced outside of Tasha and James’ house, nervous and as jittery as a fly. Did he really dare go up there to a house of bears that hated him? If they knew what he’d done to get his parents arrested, they’d be even more angry!

Spotting a car pulling up in front of the house, Dex froze, hoping the person inside wouldn’t see him, though he was standing plain and tall. Out of the car stepped a thin panda with silver and black fur and long multi-braided hair – at least six braids with little bells and feathers decorating them, the bells jingling a little as she moved. She wore a single-strap red shirt that halted just above her waist, and low-riding jean shorts. She walked up the stairs and along the path to the porch, pausing long enough to glance at Dex before shrugging and continuing on her way, ringing the doorbell.

Tasha answered the door. “Méngméng! I didn’t think you’d make it to our little dinner. I’m so glad. Where’s Fēnglì?”

“Wanted to spend the night at a friend’s instead of going to a boring dinner.” Méngméng laughed a little. “By the way, you have a guest hovering by the bushes over there.” She pointed back at Dexter.

Tasha blinked and looked over. “Dex? What are you doing here? It’s hot out here. Come inside and sit before you get sick.”

Dex blinked a few times, surprised. “I, uh... Okay.” He hadn’t even realized he’d been sweating. Slowly, he trudged up the steps and glanced nervously at the panda that was his height. “Uh, hi.”

She held out her paw to him. “Hello! Méngméng Chūntiān Seillean. Pleasure to meet you.”

Dex blinked a bit and put his hand out, letting her shake his hand. “Dexter Wolfe Barrington? I... Yeah.” He pulled back as soon as he could.

Tasha laughed a bit. “Dex doesn’t like us dangerous bears,” she stated, causing Méngméng to grin.

“Don’t worry about me, youngen. My job has me rescuing all kinds of people. I’m a rescue paramedic.” She smiled at him. “I am an expert on controlling my strengths. Like Tasha said, come on in.”

Dex nodded, feeling awkward, and wandered in, immediately coming to a halt when he entered the foyer and spotted the living room with a lot of furniture that was almost twice the size of his family’s furniture. Even the rooms were huge! “Whoa...”

Tasha smiled and shook her head. “Would you like a drink? I can get you some water, if you’d like?”

“I, uh, yeah, sure. I... I need to talk to, uhm... Jim? Jay?”

“James? He’s reading the paper in the living room. Jade’s here, too, though I don’t know if you even know her.” The black she-bear shrugged and vanished into the kitchen, Méngméng following her to help with dinner.

Dex took a few deep breaths and walked to what he believed was the living room, standing still as he looked at the two bears – one reading a book and the other a newspaper. It was at least two minutes before he was noticed.

James put down his paper and frowned. “Dex? What’s up? Surprised to see you here. Where are your parents? Still out looking for Beary? I told them not to worry about him.”

“Uh, well, about that. Um... They... I...”

“Spit it out, boy,” Jade snapped, turning a page.

“Jade, behave.” James shot her a look. “Or I’ll send you to your room.”

“Just because my apartment burned up and I have to live here. Hmph.”

“It burned up because toasters hate you,” James teased.

“Shush, you.”

James shook his head and looked at Dex. “What’s going on?”

“I, um... Well... Mom and Dad were arrested for, uh, kidnapping.”

James blinked several times, and Jade dropped her book. “Did you just say they were _arrested_?! For _kidnapping_? How the hell did that happen?” James asked, confused.

Dex stood awkwardly as he told the tale of what had taken place. He felt very guilty about what had happened. Scared that his mother might lose the baby. Scared that he’d be an orphan and lose everything. What had he been thinking?!

James groaned after Dex finished and shook his head. “Great. Just what we need. I’ll have to go down to the station and fix this, but it’ll be easier if Henry was here to help me out and explain. If only we knew exactly where they were at the moment. Dex, what you did was stupid. I get that you were jealous, but still. I hope you plan on apologizing to both Beary and your parents a lot after this.”

“I’m going to. Wait, hold on.” Dex pulled out his phone.

“Boy, this is no time to be talking to your girlfriend,” Jade growled.

“I’m not! I don’t have one! This isn’t a number I recognize, but it’s a text message...” Dex frowned and looked at the message.

NEED HELP. BEARY HURT BAD. ALL HELD HOSTAGE IN A BIG CAGE. BANKER. USE TRACKER! HURRY! 911! 911! GET UNCLE JAMES! ~JEWELL

The teenager frowned a bit. Where had Jewell gotten his number? Maybe she’d been snooping around his phone, or his parents had given it to her. Damn it. Wait, this wasn’t the time for this! “It’s from Jewell.”

“Oh? What’s she got to say?”

“She says that they need help. Beary’s hurt bad. They’re all held hostage in some kind of big cage. Banker? Use tracker?” Dex frowned. Tracker? Wait, she wasn’t talking about Beary’s cubling tracker, was she?! “They’re in trouble! I know how to find them!”

James nodded. “I’ll get the girls in the car and find a sitter for Jordan. Go get this thing of yours and meet back here immediately.”

Dex nodded and hurried off, while James told Jade to get ready while he went into the kitchen. “Girls, stop dinner. We have a situation, and we need your medical knowhow, and possibly your rescue abilities, Méngméng.”

“What’s happened?” Tasha asked, immediately turning off the stove.

“Dex got a text from Jewell. Apparently Beary’s been hurt, the band’s trapped in some kind of large cage, and they’re all in trouble.”

“Band?” Méngméng questioned, wiping her paws on a towel.

“Yeah. Beary and Jewell went to get _The Country Bears_ back together.”

Méngméng’s ears flattened. “And have they succeeded?”

“Well, last I saw, they had Fred, Tennessee, and Zeb.”

“Alec...” the she-panda murmured. “I’m going for sure.”

“Well, I kinda asked you to go, Méngméng,” James laughed. “Go get your stuff. Honey, get your med bag. I’ll take Jordan to the neighbor’s all right?”

Tasha nodded and watched as he left.

_.~*~._

Dex felt very small as he sat in the front seat of a Suburban car built for bears. The seats were twice the size of his parent’s van, and the steering wheel thick and enormous. Even the seatbelts were heavy and hard for him to manage. James had to discreetly reach over and help him buckle up.

“You’re more used to human-sized stuff. I get it. Our stuff is more heavy duty because there’s more surface to cover. No worries,” the officer stated, glancing at the house where the girls were finally coming out – two with bags, one with a concealed gun – and got into the back of the car.

Dex nodded, looked down at the silver tracking box in his hands, and flicked it on. All the lights flashed a bit before settling on a general direction of right. “Right, please,” he told James as soon as they pulled out of the driveway.

James nodded and turned to the right. “You give the directions. I’m sure we’ll find them.”

The teenager nodded, giving him directions as time went on before falling silent after twenty minutes passed. “Do you think...” He licked his lips. “Do you think Beary’s going to be okay?”

The black bear eyed him for a moment, and Dex felt Tasha’s paw on his shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be okay,” James responded, a small smile on his face at the brother’s worry. “Worried, huh?”

“No! Of course not. He’s a bear. Not... Not like he’s my brother or anything.” Dex looked out the window unhappily.

“Can I ask you a question?” James asked after a few moments.

“What is it?”

“What makes you dislike him so much?”

Dex frowned again, mulling it over. Might as well come clean. “I... I don’t know. Jealous, I guess... Mom and Dad always give him so much attention. I mean, I’m their son by birthright, and they just ignored me once he came along, unless they’re mad at me.” He sighed. “But how do you tell them that? They don’t care about me. And now with the new baby on the way...”

“Maybe they just thought you could take care of yourself? Or, like you said, they just didn’t seem to notice what they were doing. I doubt they honestly meant to. I know what they did was wrong, and I’m certain they’re starting to figure that out. Just don’t take it to heart, all right? Taking things like that deep within yourself will just create a villain.”

The teenager sighed again and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. I feel horrible about it, though. I didn’t mean for this all to happen. I was just tired of him being the special one. I wanted the attention. I should have just kept my mouth shut.”

“Actually, I think Beary might be grateful to you, Dex,” Jade spoke up. “From what I saw, he’s actually fairly happy. Sad, but happy. It’s complicated.”

James nodded. “He’s with his birth father now. As far as I’m aware, he’s not aware of it, but you never know. He could find out.”

“Does this mean that Beary will live with him instead of us?”

“Possibly. It’s a lot more complicated than that. We’ll figure it out when we find them.”

Dex nodded and glanced at the tracker box. “Right. Now go left... It’s all lighting up, now and getting louder! Stop the car!” Dex looked out the window eagerly, but only found a warehouse with a fence surrounding it and a sign stating NO TRESPASSING.

Dex frowned a little and looked around as he got out of the vehicle once James stopped it. “How do we get in? This thing’s going crazy!”

James nodded, standing on his side of the car and looking around. The fence had a barbed top, so there was no way to climb it – not that a bear could fit paws or claws in the netting. “We’ll ram it down. Time is precious. Get back into the car.”

Upon the duo doing so, James positioned his vehicle into a perfect angle and revved the engine. “Tasha, you’ll be okay?” He glanced back at his pregnant wife.

“Of course. I’m a bear.”

He nodded. “And off we go.” He released the brake and drove straight through the fence, snapping the section from the poles it was connected to. The section flew forward and crashed to the ground.

“That was awesome!” Dex grinned brightly.

James laughed. “Now then, let’s see if we can find our missing bears, hm?”

Dex hesitated for just a moment, wondering if he was ready for Beary back in his life. Ultimately, he decided that the house was too quiet, and he missed his little bear brother – as annoying as he was. He’d rather have him back than live in the quiet house where all the attention was suddenly on him again. “Let’s get my brother.”

Tasha beamed proudly and reached forward, squeezing his shoulder gently. “Now there’s the boy your parents talk about.”

Dex blushed a little and got out of the car, tracker in hand, the others following suit as they prepared themselves. Dex led the way, staying close to the group, and walked carefully through the dirt parking lot. “Don’t you need a warrant or something?”

“At this point, no. We’re on a rescue mission. I don’t give a damn right now,” James stated, while Jade snorted.

“Don’t get in trouble, James,” Tasha laughed.

“Psh, they love me at the station.”

“Only because you bring the most donuts, James,” Jade teased.

Dex rolled his eyes and let out a startled yelp as he was suddenly surrounded by fur. “What the hell?”

“You’ll be better protected between us all,” Tasha explained, smiling at him. “We’d rather risk ourselves than you.”

“But why?”

“Because you are the child of a friend,” James responded. “Hello?” he called out, looking around warily as they ventured further inside the building. His weapon was drawn, as was his partner’s. Jade trailed behind the group, providing protection from behind, while Tasha and Méngméng kept Dex between them, both knowing they’d have a better chance at surviving a shot than he would. “Trixie? Jewell? Beary?”

Dex glanced around anxiously, but all he saw was the furry bodies. However, even he could hear the faint cry for help, followed by an “over here!”

“I can smell them,” James stated.

“I smell blood,” Méngméng mentioned.

As one, the group rushed towards the source of the cries, soon finding the large metal cage in the center of the warehouse.

Dex paused as the bears surrounding him separated. His sight fell upon the still form of his brother, cradled in the arms of a stranger. Blood soaked a makeshift bandage around his leg, and his right side of his head was caked with blood.

He found himself unable to move. Gone was his bravado and self-centeredness. All that consumed him was the sight of Beary in such pain. His mind flashed back to a forgotten memory, the first time he’d met Beary.

**F** **LASHBACK**

_“Mom? What’s that? Is that a bear cub? Oh, he’s so cute! Is he my new pet? Can we keep him?” Eight-year-old Dexter Barrington was a bundle of energy as he hopped around the living room, looking at the small cub that simply stared at him with wide hazel eyes._

_Allison laughed and shook her head. “We found him, honey. Well, the ranger did. In the woods all alone. We’re taking him in until we can find his parents.”_

_“Why not keep him? He’s so fluffy! I’ll take care of him, Mommy! I promise I will! I’ll clean up after him, and he can sleep in my room and poop in the backyard!” Dex looked over at his father. “Daddy, tell her to let me keep him!”_

_Norbert chuckled. “Dex, he has a family of his own.”_

_“But they didn’t take care of him! He’s so thin and scrawny!”_

_His parents studied the cub, nodding in agreement. While Allison went to prepare a big dinner for them all – and fretting over what the cub was supposed to eat – while Norbert went to rummage around in the basement in search of any of Dex’s old clothes._

_Dex, meanwhile, was left alone in the living room with the bear cub. “What’s your name? Do you have one?” When the cub didn’t respond, Dex thought that maybe he couldn’t talk! Like a dog! “Okay, I’ll say a couple names, and you tell me if you like them or not. Um... Rover.”_

_No response._

_“Zelda!”_

_No response._

_“Darn. Um... Fred?”_

_A flick of an ear, but no response._

_“Ryan?”_

_No response._

_Dex went through a few more names before trying the corniest name he could think of. “You’re a bear, so... Beary?” He jumped out of his skin when the cub lit up and started babbling._

_“Yay! Ya git it! Mah name Beary!”_

_“You do talk!” Dex felt very proud of himself for accomplishing this. “Do you want to watch_ Barney _?”_

_“Barney? Sing dino?”_

_“Yeah! Here, hold on.” Dex got up and went to the VHS tapes shelf, looking for a specific set, and upon finding the video he wanted, he took it to the VCR and turned on the TV. When the familiar opening song began to play, he laid on his stomach and sang along._

_Beary watched this with interested, and climbed off the couch towards him. He stood for a few moments, watching the moving images on the screen, before laying down and curling up against Dex, relishing in the heat he gave off. After a few minutes, he began to purr._

_Dex, of course, was very surprised at this, but didn’t move, happy to have the company and the soft warmth the cub gave off. “Hey, what about Barney?”_

_“Sleep, furzt. Barn-Barn latah.”_

_“Barn-barn?” Dex snorted and laughed a bit._

_“Dat wat Jacob call it.”_

_“Jacob?”_

_“Big brofer. I miss him... You mah big brofer now?”_

_Dex turned to look at him, flipped on his side, and picked up the bear cub, carried him to the couch and curled up with him. “Yup. I am your big brother now, Beary. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”_

**E** **ND F** **LASHBACK**

‘ _That’s right... I was the one who showed whim the Barney videos. I put up such a fight to keep him around. I asked that he’d be in my room. I wanted a baby brother, and I thought that him being a bear would make it even better!_ ’ He blinked a few times, staring at Beary who hadn’t moved since their arrival. ‘ _What have I done?_ ’

Dex dropped the tracker to the ground and sprinted forward, his hands slamming against the metal bars. “Beary! Wake up! Come on, doofus! You can beat this! You’re a big, dumb, smelly, ugly doofus of a bear!” He hit the bars again as he shouted. “Get up, damn it! No brother of mine is going to be such a wimp!” His voice cracked as he continued to yell.

He was aware of everyone watching him, those in the cage asking silent questions, but he didn’t care. That was his little brother, and he wasn’t going to screw up again!

Finally, he noticed movement from the cub. His eyes were slowly opening. Dex found himself letting out a choked sob. He was alive! He looked over at the group of bears he’d come with, all of whom breathed sighs of relief.

James smiled for a moment before turning serious. “Méngméng, do you see a way in?”

“At the moment, no. Let me climb to the top and see what I can find.” She set down her bag and began to climb.

Jade, meanwhile, drew James away from the cage. “Uh, partner? Are these what I think they are?”

“Hm?” James studied the object she was staring at and froze. “Oh, dear. Uh, Méngméng? Hurry it up.”

The silver panda quickened her pace at his tone and was soon on the roof of the cage, looking down and assessing the situation. “Can’t seem to find an opening, but I’ll keep looking. I do have a stupid question, though. Did anyone try the door?”

No one moved.

Tasha, seeing this, gave the cage door a strong shake and rattle. She was about to give her report when Méngméng shrieked and fell into the cage through a suddenly opening trapdoor in the ceiling of the cage, landing in a startled Zeb’s arms. “Are you okay?!”

Méngméng, however, did not answer her, too enthralled by who was holding her. “Alec?”

Zeb was surprised to have his estranged wife suddenly in his arms again. “Uh, hello. Wait... Méngméng?” He dropped her in shock.

“Ow! Hey!” She took a swipe at him, greatly annoyed.

“Stop flirting with your boyfriend and focus, Méngméng!” Tasha called.

“Husband, Tasha. This is my husband,” the she-panda responded, earning surprised gasps from the band.

“How’d you get someone as gorgeous as that?!” Ted demanded to Zeb.

“We shared similar interests,” Zeb said simply with a sniff as he helped Méngméng back up.

“And what’s are those?”

“Not fit for young ears,” the fiddler winked. He turned back to look at her, only to find her gone. “Méngméng?” He looked around, finally spotting her kneeling beside Beary. “Oh, right... Rescue medic.”

“Tasha, pass me the bandages, clean water, and alcohol. I’m going to properly clean his wounds. I’ve found an entry and exit. Entry just above the knee, exit in upper thigh. The bullet might have bounced off his bone. Perhaps shattered it. There’s a lot of swelling here. He’ll need x-rays for sure. He’s also damn lucky that the bullet missed his area when exiting.”

Zeb knelt by the cage wall, taking the requested supplies from Tasha and giving them to Méngméng.

As she worked, she glanced around for a moment, spotting the instruments. “You were all playing in here?”

“Passed the time, and... and we figured we owed Beary a concert. Just in case,” Ted muttered.

“I see... Hold him still.” Méngméng finished flushing the wound and now began with the alcohol, earning a squealing cub in response at the pain. “Shh, little one. _Xū, xiǎo dōngxī. Yīqiè dūhuì hǎo qǐlái de. Wǒ dāyìng. Nǐ huì huózhe kàn dào lìng yītiān._ ”

Henry watched anxiously, doing as instructed, making sure Beary didn’t move while his wounds were cleaned and bandaged. His mind flashed back a few times to the war, remembering the bloodshed of Vietnam.

Jade and James, meanwhile, tried to figure out what to do about the explosives. From what they could see, they were for demolition. Had been whoever had taken the band planned all this? Or was it merely coincidence? There were notices posted too, and signed by a bank. They didn’t appear armed or currently dangerous. Either way, the officers knew they needed to hurry.

Tasha watched anxious as Méngméng worked, sparing a glance to her sister, niece, and Tennessee. They seemed healthy enough, but why were Trixie’s paws all bloody? Her dress torn?

“I’m fine, Nata,” Trixie spoke, walking over to the door and reaching through it to hold her sister’s paw.

Tasha leaned forward and rubbed noses with her sister through the openings in the bars.

“I ripped my dress for a bandage. How’s the baby?”

“Turns out baby is babies. Three of them,” the black she-bear responded. “They believe it’s two boys and one girl. Strong and healthy.” She let Trixie rest her paw on her belly.

“Triplets?” Trixie felt the cubs moving and grinned. “And they’re only just discovering this?”

Tasha laughed and nodded. “Yeah. Ridiculous, no? James just about fainted when he found out. Three cubs so suddenly. Crazy. We’re going to go shopping for more cribs and other supplies soon. Now that you’re home, you can join us!”

“That would be nice for sure.” Trixie nodded and gave her another lick. “Well then, we’d best get out of here, huh?”

“Yeah, but... How’s Jewell holding up?”

Trixie’s voice dropped as she glanced back at her daughter, withdrawing her paw from her sister’s belly. “She won’t admit it, but she’s scared. We all are. We need to get out of here, that’s for sure. The only thing that held us together are the cubs. Despite what’s happening, they’ve remained strong. The boys made up, too. We’ve been playing while we waited. Silly, I know, but it made Beary smile. Kept him awake, too, though I don’t know if he could hear us.”

“What do you mean”

“He had a gun go off right next to his ear. Same time he got his ear, well, pierced.”

Dex, overhearing this, gulped. He had only been kidding about the big game hunters! And now his brother was hurt by one. Well, basically one. Why had he not been finished off? Was he only injured to hurt the others? Dex wanted nothing more than to find the shooter and knock his lights out. But, first, he had to figure out how to get Beary out of there. The door was locked and they had no way to lift him out of the top opening.

“Is there a key?” he asked softly, looking around. No one seemed to hear him, so he repeated himself in a louder voice. Finally, all eyes were on him, causing him to cringe. “I, uh, just thought there might be a key. To the door.”

“Thimple took it with him,” Henry spoke up.

“Then why not pop the hinges? Bust it open that way?”

The bears all blinked, looking at him in surprise.

James wandered back over. “Jade, Dex, go look for a crowbar. I think Dex’s idea just might work.”

.~*~.

“And heave!” Tasha called as James and Jade worked on the hinges with the crowbar they had gotten from somewhere in the warehouse. Two of the hinges were already out, but the last was giving them some trouble.

Dex stood back, fidgeting nervously. Beary was getting less and less responsive. The last time Dex had seen this was when they discovered he was allergic to peanuts and other nuts. Dex remembered being scared, not knowing what was going on, a bag of peanuts in his hand. A babysitter had been called for him, and his parents had left with Beary. His brother had almost died that night, and ever since, even unconsciously, Dex had been careful to not eat nuts around him, and to take care in washing his hands and making sure that anyone else that ate nuts would properly clean themselves before entering the house.

Why had he become so bitter? He loved Beary, but couldn’t show it. These past few days had made him realize how much he actually cared.

When the last hinge pin popped out and the door was pushed out by Fred and Ted, Dex rushed in and kneeled next to Beary. “Hey, can you hear me? Smell me? Something. Anything. Please...” To his relief, Beary’s nose twitched – the usual indication that he was sniffing something. “That’s it!”

“Dex...? Sor... Sorry for... ruining... family,” Beary whispered.

Dex felt the eyes upon him and frowned. Ruining family? Had he really said that to him? He didn’t know if Beary could hear him, but it was worth a shot. “You never ruined it. I did. I used to accept you. I wanted you to stay with us. I showed you the Barney videos. I was stupid and jealous. Ignore what I said. Forgive me. You have to pull out of this. Mom and Dad will never forgive me if you die. We have to prove that they didn’t kidnap you so we can get them out of jail.

“I screwed up, Beary. I screwed up big time. I need your help to make this right again. You always know what to do. I’m not smart. I’m just a bad brother. I should have never turned my back on you. You’re my little brother, and I promised to look after you, and I failed. Please, Beary...” Dex broke off when he felt a paw on his hand. He looked down, finding it to be Beary’s light brown one. It was then that he realized that his cheeks were wet from tears.

Beary stared at him quietly. He had heard little, but enough to know that Dex was sorry. He also knew it wasn’t a false apology like Dex usually gave. He could see it in his eyes that this was genuine. “I... forgive... you...” he whispered, feeling himself begin to slip. “Tell them... do concert... can’t let jerk win...”  He was vaguely aware of being picked up and carried. “Please... Gotta win...”

His eyes rolled back and he fell into darkness, unable to hold on any longer.


	19. Part Nineteen - The Concert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some peace and quiet... right?

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._

Light flooded his vision as consciousness slipped in. A silent groan left his mouth as he slowly opened his eyes.

Yellow walls with a blue stripe along the top was the first thing he saw. The next were balloons of all shapes saying “Get Well Soon!”. Flowers came after, then pictures on the wall, and finally he noticed the brightly colored furniture.

Sitting upon that furniture, to his immense surprise, was none other than Allison and Norbert Barrington, both fast asleep. Next to them, in an armchair, Dex sat playing on his Gameboy. He must have had the sound on low, for Beary just faintly heard the musical notes of the _Mario_ theme.

As he continued to look around, he wondered where everyone else was. Had finding the Bears been just a dream? Was he in a hospital? Did it really happen? His leg hurt, as did his ear. He reached up, expecting to find fur, but instead found a bandage wrapped around his ear. So he had been hurt.

Not wanting to disturb anyone, Beary decided that he’d simply watch Dex playing his video game, though he couldn’t see what he was doing. He just liked watching the facial expressions that Dex took on when playing such games.

He must’ve laughed without realizing it, for the next thing he knew, Dex had set down the game and walked over to his side. It was only when his brother started to speak and he could only hear a muffled sound did Beary realize something was wrong.

Why couldn’t he hear him? He had been able to hear the _Mario_ game! Why did he sound so muffled? Like he was the worst whisperer in the world! He lifted a finger up to his non-bandaged ear and rubbed it, trying to see if perhaps he had cotton in the canal, but nothing came out. Beary was left looking at Dex in complete confusion.

Dex, meanwhile, frowned and nodded. He bent over and picked up a whiteboard and pen from a bag by the bed, and began writing. _HOW ARE YOU FEELING?_

Beary blinked, reading the words, and spoke. “Good, I guess?” He knew his voice sounded off by the way his brother flinched and his adoptive parents waking up. “Loud?”

Dex had to stop his parents from rushing in and speaking to Beary, letting them know that Beary was having a hard time hearing and to use the whiteboard.

Allison was the first. _OH, BABY BOY! YOU’RE AWAKE! I’M SO HAPPY!_

“I’m happy, too, Mom.” Noticing Dex making a turning gesture with his hand, he spoke again, attempting to lower the sound of his voice. “Am I too loud?” When he got a thumb’s up, he grinned.

Norbert took the whiteboard and scribbled out something. _WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU. DEX EXPLAINED EVERYTHING, AND SO DID HENRY. WE ALL NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE._

“Henry? My Dad?”

Norbert nodded and Allison seemed to sniffle.

“Don’t cry, Mom. I don’t know him very well, but I want to. I have a chance to learn the truth about me, and he’s explained a lot already. He’s lonely, Mom. My, um... Mama? She was hurt bad, and he lost me. I... that man... I remember him. When I saw him in the warehouse? I remembered him from years ago. He scared me. I don’t know why, but I remember him from the night of the accident.” He drifted off when he realized they were glancing at each other with mixed expressions.

 _WHEN I MEET HIM, I’M GOING TO BEAT HIM UP FOR YOU_ , Dex wrote.

Beary smiled and decided to change the subject. “Where is Jewell? Is she okay? She’s not hurt, is she?”

Dex shook his head and wrote some more. _SHE DID HAVE BRUISED RIBS FROM YOU KICKING HER OUT OF THE WAY, SO I’M TOLD, BUT SHE’S FINE. DO YOU WANT ME TO GO GET HER? SHE’S GETTING A CHECKUP._

“I... hurt her?” His ears flattened. Well, one did, but the other stayed where it was, but emitted a sharp pain. “Ow...” He reached up, fingering the bandage again. “Hurts.”

Allison started to say something, but Beary didn’t catch it at first. Bits and pieces, words soft and sometimes loud. He couldn’t make it out.

Dex shook his head and spoke to her, tapping the whiteboard.

She nodded and took it. _SORRY, BEARY. I FORGOT. ARE YOU IN PAIN, HONEY? DO YOU WANT ME TO CALL THE DOCTOR?_

He gave a little nod. Shouldn’t they call the doctor anyway?

Norbert reached up and pressed a button on a console above Beary’s head. The cub turned his head and looked up at it curiously.

They continued to talk via him speaking and the whiteboard, and finally the doctor came, looked him over, and spoke to his parents.

Beary eyed them in confusion, and became even more confused when the doctor tried speaking to him. When he raised his voice and stood on his left side, however, Beary was able to understand him.

“I hear that you’re having trouble hearing. That might be because of the bandage on your right ear, Beary,” the doctor said, unaware of how small he was making Beary feel. “We will run some tests and get you fixed up one way or another. However, you can go home and rest. You don’t need to stay in this hospital. We’ll keep you overnight here, and tomorrow we will release you. Do you understand?”

Beary furrowed his brow and gave a small nod.

“Good. Now then, let’s start some tests.” The doctor looked at the humans, spoke to them, and Beary watched as they walked out.

Beary was helped into a sitting position, examined, vitals taken, and looked after. The bandage on his ear was taken off, and he discovered that while he could hear a little from it, it wasn’t very much. Still muffled and quiet.

Yet, they seemed pleased that his ear would move from their touches. That it responded. They seemed sad, though, that it wouldn’t respond to what Beary saw as speech or the snapping of fingers.

While they did what they needed to do, Beary found himself wondering what had become of the band. Had they done their concert? How much time had passed since the warehouse and here? Was Jewell okay? What about Henry, his father? Where was he? Was he okay?

_.~*~._

Henry Dixon Taylor sat by the enclosed bed of his wife. Every shelf was covered in get well cards from years gone past, and there were a few flowers. Every week he would change the flowers he brought for her. Sometimes he’d bring daisies, other times a bouquet of random flowers, but usually he’d bring different colored roses clipped from her rose bushes back home at the _Hall_.

“...And so the band did their first benefit concert last night. We had a fine crowd at the _Hall_ , but not as big as I expected. Maybe two hundred people? I suspect that the people that came only learned from those we met on our travels to get the band back together. A lot of people probably didn’t even know about it. See, I don’t think Rip Holland promoted the show like I asked him to, but I couldn’t get ahold of him to find out. It didn’t matter, though. We made enough to buy us more time to pay off the debt, which wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for Beary and Jewell.

“Oh, Helen... When I came to the hospital this morning and spoke to the doctors, they told me that you’d been waking up. I don’t know whether or not to believe it. You look the same as you have for years. A sleeping beauty.” He smiled fondly as he stood up and ran a finger over her cheek. “I just wish you’d wake up and come back to me... I miss you so much.”

To his surprise, her eyes flickered and opened, shifting over to look at him. “H-Hi... H-He-Hen-Hendri.” Her brow furrowed, knowing that wasn’t right.

He couldn’t believe it. Was he just dreaming this? “H-Helen?” He rubbed his eyes and moved his paw in front of her face, choking up when he found her eyes following it. “Are you... Are you really awake? This can’t be... Seven years and not a peep, and then I get the band back together and you... you wake up. I must be dreaming.”

Shaking, she raised a paw and rested it upon his on the railing. “I... here... Hendri.”

The pepper-furred bear could not hold back any longer as he openly wept, leaning over to smother her face in light kisses. The heartbeat from his bond mark was strong and full of life. His lover was not only awake, but aware of him being there. Speaking. Seeing!

Helen managed a laugh as she licked his nose and kissed it. “My Hendri.”

“My Helena,” he responded, leaning his forehead against hers. “So much has changed, and I can’t wait to show you. Little Beary’s ten, now. He’s gotten so big... But don’t fret. You aren’t the only one who has missed out on him growing up.” Henry spent the next hour explaining what he had learned from the Barringtons, and how Beary had been raised, and telling her how grateful he was of them.

He did not, however, inform her of how exactly he lost their son. What Reed had told him of throwing him into the river. There was no point in upsetting her at this point, not when she couldn’t do anything about it. The police were searching for Reed, who had slipped away and vanished. Even Rip Holland had not been located, nor that young polar bear Reed had been manipulating.

Henry bore the polar bear no ill will, but did hope that he’d realize what his actions had caused and would go to the police.

“Baby... big?” Helen asked softly, turning her head to look at a picture on the tabled beside her – the last family portrait they had all taken together. “Jacob?”

“Jacob’s moved out and is in Alaska, working with the coast guard. Trista’s up in the Yukon dating an Andean bear named Kai. She’s become a very popular vet and takes care of quite a lot of animals. Pets, wild, rehabilitation. Our daughter’s done wonders with herself, and our son has saved many lives. And Beary... Well, he got my lazy butt in gear and we went and reunited the band.”

She frowned, perplexed. “Why?”

He gulped. “Uh... because I put the _Hall_ as collateral to take out loans to pay for medical bills.”

“He-Hendri...” Ears flattening, she sniffled. Why hadn’t he simply let her die rather than sinking into debt? She wanted to form more words, but her vocal chords did not want to work. She fell into a sorrowful silence and shared her emotions with him through tears instead of speech.

“Oh, honey... Shh... Don’t cry. Don’t cry. You might wonder why I didn’t just have them pull the cord, and that’s because I was afraid. I didn’t want to say goodbye to my best friend without apologizing for my behavior that night. I know it was a rough time, but I should have been the one to take Beary out for that drive. I should have stayed up to calm him down. It’s my fault. Please, don’t cry...” He wiped her tears away with his thumbs and kissed her nose.

A knock at the door pulled him away from his beloved, and he went to answer it. “Oh, it’s you.”

Helen watched as he stepped outside for a minute, and wondered when he’d be back. It’d be soon, right? The door opened again and a family of humans walked into the room behind her lover. ‘ _They must be the... Barringtons? Yes. That must be it._ ’

“So she’s really awake?” Allison looked past Henry and found herself staring at the poor creature on the bed. “He really does look like her...”

“Indeed,” Henry smiled. “Our other two children looked more like me. Trista and Jacob. Beary is Helen’s lookalike.” Henry stood by his wife’s side, holding her paw. “Helen? These are the people that took Beary in. Allison, Norbert, and Dexter Barrington.”

The family gathered around the bed, but Dex hung back, watching the interactions as Helen tried to speak to his parents but barely managed a word. He felt pity for her. He could see how thin she was, and how flat her muscular structure was. It would take a long time for things to get back to normal for the she-bear, if they ever did. He hoped so. He found himself wanting to get to know her. Make up for the mistakes he made with Beary. Someday he would, no doubt about it. He knew he’d been wrong, and he’d make it right again.

_.~*~._

A few days later, back at the _Hall_ , Zeb paced around inside his cabin – which he had spent the past few days cleaning and fixing up inside and out, trying to figure out what to wear. His estranged wife would be there any minute, and he was still trying to decide how to look. Should he wear a tattered white vest and his hat? Should he go for plaid? What should he do?

“I should have made dinner! Stupid, stupid, stupid. I don’t even have any flowers to give to her! Ah, what was I thinking, inviting her here? Will she bring Fēnglì? She said she wouldn’t. That she wanted this meeting to be just the two of us. To work things out. Oh, what am I doing. I don’t have a chance with her.”

Zeb Zoober was a mess of emotions, that much Méngméng could see as she watched him through the open window. She felt bad, too, as she had initially come to tell him that she didn’t want to get back together. That she didn’t know if she could trust him enough to stay sober.

Seeing him now, however, made her have second thoughts on the subject. Could he change? He seemed to be sober, but would it last? Was it worth trying to fix their marriage? She’d never divorced him, as she still loved him very much, so perhaps...?

Taking a deep breath, she straightened her sundress and knocked on the door, listening to the startled yelp and rustling from the other side with a small smile on her face.

Finally, the door opened, and Zeb stood in front of her... naked.

Méngméng, however, took it in stride, knowing full well he had probably forgotten that he wasn’t dressed. She looked him up and down. “You look good.”

“I... I feel good,” he responded, his eyes trailing over her. “Uh, I... Oh, right. Come in. Sorry, I don’t have anything to eat yet. Right now, we’ve all just been eating at the _Hall_ , since we don’t know if we’re going to stay together yet.”

“I see.” Méngméng sat down on the couch, setting her purse on the table. “Alec, we need to talk.”

“I know,” he responded, sitting down beside her, but with some space between them. “I know why you left... and I’m sorry. It was my fault. Me and my drinking.”

Her mouth dropped in surprise. “Alec, I never should have left the way I did. I got angry. I got flustered. I shouldn’t have taken Fēnglì away from a father who loved him dearly and never harmed us, even if he is a drunkard. He... He asked so many times to go see you, but I... I knew if I went back, I’d never want to leave again. I knew I had made a mistake, and I wasn’t sure if you’d forgive me for it. I didn’t want to see our money going down the drain because you wanted honey. I wanted him to see a father who loved him. I wanted him to have clothing he needed. School supplies.

“I made it, though, Alec. I became a rescue paramedic. Fēnglì’s doing well in elementary school, and so many envy his stripes. He’s very smart in his studies, and he’s a talented pianist and fiddler.”

“You... You taught him to play the fiddle?” Zeb blinked in surprise.

“I wanted him to have a piece of you...” she murmured, ears lowering. “Since I took him from you.”

“Méngméng...” He gently cupped her cheek. “Don’t beat yourself up. We’re both at fault. We should have worked through it together. I love you and Fēnglì. You’re my family, and I threw that away for some honey. You saw that I was throwing our savings away and took what you could and left. That was brave of you. Yes, at first I was mad. I was heartbroken that the only she-bear I ever loved left me, but as time went on, deep down I knew it was the right thing to do. It has taken me many years to get sober, and now that I’m finally on the road to recovery, I wanted to ask you if we could pursue a new relationship. Fix things between us, and, if you will allow it, be a family again.”

“A family?” She sniffled and nodded. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot... I miss being with you, and I want to see you change back into the bear I fell in love with.”

“You mean the wild animal you slept with at the bar?” he teased, purring.

“Oh, that first night might have been against my character, but the results... I found love and life with my mate. I did a dare, and I won.” She leaned forward and licked his nose. “And this time, I won’t give up on you again.”

He licked her back, blushing. “Nor I, you.” He leaned forward to kiss her, only to be stopped by her finger. “Méngméng?”

“Oh, no, you’re not getting me back that easily. You’re gonna have to work for it. I’m not an easy girl, Alec. I want my love to be earned by you.” She looked him up and down again. “Then again, you’re already undressed... Oh, decisions.”

“Un-undressed...? OH HOLY CRAP!” He grabbed a pillow and covered himself up with it.

The silver she-panda smiled. “Oh, don’t fret. I thought you looked nice. So tempting...”

“Méngméng...”

“Oh, what the hell.” She pounced and he welcomed her with open arms.

_.~*~._

_Night of the second and final concert..._

“How are you two feeling?” Ted Bedderhead asked as he walked up to the two cubs that sat side by side, one in a wheelchair and the other on a crate.

Beary looked at him curiously, trying to figure out what he’d said at first, and decided to repeat the question to make sure he got it right. Hearing in his left ear had returned greatly, but not 100% yet, whereas his right ear was still fairly damaged. “Feeling? Okay, I guess. As good as I can, considering the situation.”

Jewell nodded. “Yeah. I can’t wait to be up there as you guys perform. I just wish Beary could join in, too.”

Fred came up beside his brother, nodding sadly. “I know, but we don’t want risk to you any further. That creep is still out there.”

Beary shivered and nodded unhappily. He didn’t want to be hurt again. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s finalizing things with Big Al, and picking up the money from the ticket counter. Your parents and brother are working in the kitchen. This time we’re going to have homemade food, like cookies and slices of pie,” Fred explained, drooling at the thought.

“Mom’s pies are really good. Speaking of Mom... um, do you know when Henry, I mean, Papa will let me meet Mom? I mean, Helen? I mean, Mama?” He frowned, confused as to what to call everyone. He felt kinda silly calling Henry ‘Papa’, but what was he to do? How was he to differentiate between his human and bear dads?

“I’m sure he will soon, Beary. He’s most likely waiting until she’s stronger and able to communicate better. I’m sure he doesn’t want to frighten her about your condition,” Trixie stated, walking over with Tennessee.

Tennessee nodded, sniffing. “She wants to see you more than anything, kid.”

Jewell agreed and licked her friend’s cheek. “You’ll see her soon, I’m sure.”

“Will she even like me?” he asked softly.

“Why wouldn’t she?” Jewell questioned, just as perplexed as the adults. “You’re her son.”

He simply shrugged and looked out at the red curtain, wishing he could be out there, too. Jewell was going to get to play her guitar, but he was to sit backstage. He was happy for her, of course, but wished he could share in the joy of playing with the band. Yet, how could a half-deaf bear cub play with musicians? He’d simply mess them up, he was certain of it. Plus, he’d bring further bad publicity to them all with his injuries. People might question why the band didn’t protect him and boycott.

“Where’s Zeb?” Beary asked, changing the subject.

“Oh, probably having his fill of that panda of his,” Ted grumbled. “How he got such a gorgeous she-bear is beyond me. I, on the other hand, have my eye on someone more practical and better matching.”

“Is it Jade?” Jewell asked, grinning.

The others started to laugh when Ted got flustered.

“Oh, Ted, just go and ask her out.”

“I barely know her!”

“And yet you have a crush on her. Nothing wrong there, Teddy. Sometimes a fling can be the best decision you ever make,” Zeb said, finally walking in through the door to the practice room, holding his wife’s paw. “I know it was mine. I managed to snag myself the most beautiful she-bear for my own.” He leaned down and kissed her nose before glancing at Trixie and Jewell. “Present parties excluded.”

Méngméng laughed and shook her head. “Beary, how are you feeling tonight?”

“Fine, I guess. Nothing new to complain about. I mean, shot, broken leg, deaf... What else should I complain about?” He lowered his gaze, noticing the others quietly leaving. “All I am is a target and burden...”

Jewell’s eyes narrowed. “You’re a hero, and heroes don’t always come out without injuries, or if they do, they’re gone the next episode. You’re a hero, Beary. You’re my hero, and heroes get a kiss.”

“Don’t you dare!” His cry went unheeded as she kissed him lightly before backing away. “Bleh! Gross.”

She laughed. “You’re such a child sometimes.”

“We’re the same age!”

“I’m four months older than you.”

Méngméng shook her head at the squabbling of cubs. “Fēnglì will be here soon. His friend is bringing him.”

“Fēnglì?” they asked, glancing over at her.

“Mhm. Mine and, well, Zeb’s son. He’s two years younger than the pair of you. I hope you’ll enjoy his company. He, too, will be backstage, Beary, as will I and Henry. You won’t be alone, kiddo,” Méngméng stated with a smile.

Beary hated that smile. He knew she was trying to be kind, but to him it felt condescending. Forced. Everyone was trying to smile at him and reassure him, but why? Were they trying to reassure him that he’d be all right? That no further harm would come to him? If that was the case, they could pack their bags. No further harm? He was only ten, for pity’s sake! He’d be harmed again somewhere down the line! Fools.

“My, my, you are grumpy,” Méngméng laughed. “Then again, I can understand why. Such a pity that you can’t just enjoy the concert as a fan rather than being upset that you can’t be onstage.”

Beary scowled at her and wheeled himself away, heading towards the practice room, wanting to play one of the games there.

Jewell sighed and followed him. “Beary... Do you want me to not play tonight?”

“What?” He looked back at her in shock.

She repeated her question and he frowned.

“Jewell, I want you to have fun. I just wish I could have fun with you.” Beary frowned when he couldn’t get the door open and grumbled. “Forget it. I’m just gonna go behind these crates and draw. I’ll come out when you play. I want to see you.”

She smiled and nodded. “And you will, I promise.” Her ears perked when she heard Henry. “All right, time to get going for some warm ups before he opens the _Hall_ to guests. Are you going to be okay?”

Beary nodded as he finished hiding himself behind some crates, unaware that he’d gotten a wheel stuck between the wall and the floor. He frowned, feeling a bit unbalanced, but figured he’d moved wrong in his seat. “I’ll be fine.” He reached back and grabbed his bag, pulling out his sketchbook and pencils and erasers.

Jewell frowned a little, her ears going back slightly, and backed away. “Well, talk to you after the show, okay? I promise.”

He nodded, focusing on his work. It wasn’t until he heard his birth father’s introduction to the band did he realize how much time had passed. Oh well, at least he had gotten fairly done on his latest sketch, which featured Jewell and her guitar. He snapped the book shut and put it in his bag, which he then hung on the back of his chair. He could hear the music starting, and his heart raced. Jewell was expecting him to watch!

Putting his paws on the wheels, he attempted to move forward, only to find himself stuck.

“Are you serious?” he muttered to himself, looking to see how he had gotten stuck. “Oh, come on!” He pulled on the wheel, flinching when he jarred his broken leg. “Great. Now what?” He tugged a few more times, even tried tilting, but it was stuck good and tight. “Ah, man. She’s going to be so upset with me!” He couldn’t even call for help, as it would disrupt the show, which was getting louder.

“Need some help?”

Beary jumped, not expecting the voice. He lifted his head, eyes widening when he found a deranged looking Reed Thimple standing before him with a muzzle. He opened his mouth to scream, but Reed got to him first, slipping the device over his snout and locking it behind his head. What was he doing here?! How’d he get in?!

“And just so you can’t take it off, here.” Reed tied his wrists tightly to the arms of the chair, almost tight enough to cut off circulation. “You know, things were going fine until you showed up, bear. I had the destruction of this place in the bag! Now I’ll have to do it myself, and it’ll be messy. Perhaps lives will be lost, too. I wonder how dear Henry will feel if he loses his son?”

The ten-year-old stared at him with fear. Was he going to kill him? Kidnap him? Wait, why was he covering him with a blanket?

“You stay here and be a good little boy, and maybe things will be quick!”

Things fell silent for a while, and then Beary heard screams and smelled the smoke.

_.~*~._

When the fires around the building started, Jewell didn’t notice at first. She simply strummed her guitar and stood by her mother at the keyboard, listening to Roadie drum a beat behind her. The bright lights shining down upon her blinded her to the audience.

She didn’t know that Reed Thimple had been walking around the outside of the building with gasoline, nor did she know that he had even been walking through the crowd with a large bottle of flammable liquid, spilling some every few feet and creating a trail. She did not know something was amiss until she realized the stage curtains had somehow caught ablaze, and once that happened, the flames followed a trail of gasoline from backstage to a side tunnel to Henry’s office, around to the entrance where it split outside and went further inside, burning the trail and then the wooden walls and flooring.

She did not realize how much danger they were in until someone began to scream.

“FIRE!”

Fire? Jewell didn’t understand. What fire? Where was it? Or was someone just trying to cause trouble?

The scent of burning wood, however, told her otherwise. She turned to look at her mother, having stopped playing. “Mama?”

Trixie backed away from her keyboards, sniffing the air and looking around. She couldn’t see into the crowd very well because of the bright lights upon them, but she could smell the fire. She glanced up and quickly pushed her daughter out of the way as a curtain rod fell, clattering between them as the fabric upon it burned a bright orange. A burnt rope lay beside it.

Screams filled the air, and the other members of the band began to take notice. Instruments were passed to Fred, who took them to the bus just outside the practice room door and just set them inside, while Ted went to help people get through the flames, which had spread faster than he believed they would.

Zeb made a beeline for Méngméng and his son, who had been standing by Henry, hoisting Fēnglì up and out of harm’s way, while Tennessee went straight for Trixie and Jewell and led them out of harm’s way. Roadie went to move the bus away from the building, and Big Al joined Ted in helping people get out.

Henry made for the kitchens after checking backstage for his son. Upon not finding him, he assumed one of the others got him out and went to find the Barringtons in the kitchen to make sure they got out the kitchen door safely.

Fighting to get through the crowd of panicking concert-goers, Henry finally made it over to the kitchen and was thankful to find that it wasn’t on fire, even if the area outside the concession counter was. He barged through the door and looked around, thankful to find all three gone.

Coughing on the smoke, he made his way to the pantry and out through the door usually used for deliveries to the kitchen. He had to find the others and set up their mini fire brigade! Briefly, he found himself wondering if the boys even remembered what they were doing – since the _Hall_ grounds were so far from Pendleton town and Nashville, they had been trained by the volunteer fire department on what to do in case of a thing like this.

He was relieved to find them setting up hoses to the pumps and turning them on the blaze. Yet he knew that even if the fought the flames outside, there were still the ones inside.

“Mr. Henry! Henry!” Jewell cried, running over to him. Her mother was helping the band out with the hoses by pairing up with Roadie, as had James and Tasha Stone [Jordan was at a babysitter’s], leaving Jewell to be with the Barringtons.

“Jewell? What is it? Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Is Beary with you? We can’t find him!”

“C-Can’t... Can’t find him?” Henry repeated, not sure if he was hearing right. He felt his heart skip a beat and found himself frozen in place as his eyes scanned the area.

“No! I thought someone else got him, and they thought you got him, and... and you must’ve thought we had him...” Her eyes turned towards the blaze.

Henry knew immediately what she was going to do and grabbed her as she tried to bolt. “No! I’ll go! You stay here! Jewell!”

“No! He’s my friend! It’s my fault he’s back there! He probably got stuck!” she cried, trying to squirm free.

“Back where? Backstage? I didn’t see him!”

“He’s hidden behind some crates by the practice room door. Under a window! Please, let me go find him!”

“Under the window?” Henry frowned. In that area, the flooring didn’t meet the wall. Beary could have easily gotten his wheelchair stuck! “I know where you’re talking about. I’m going in after him. You stay here and help where you can. If you got hurt, Beary wouldn’t forgive himself, would he?”

Ears lowering, she nodded, and he finally released her. All her instincts told her to run into the building, but she held back, watching as Henry jogged past the others to go through the door to the side building practice room.

No sooner had he vanished through it, did the small structure collapse behind him.

_.~*~._

The forty-nine-year-old pepper furred bear coughed on the thick smoke as he glanced back at the now collapsed room with a heavy heart. How would they get out now? The main back door that had been used to unload supplies backstage had been stuck for almost a decade now due to a wood pile being put in front of it outside. They’d have to try to go through the tunnel to his office. He just hoped no flames were in it. He did not want to have to travel through the _Hall_ in order to get to the main door. The entire floor was on fire.

Suddenly, he found himself glad that he had not allowed Helen to come and see the concert that day. Who knows what would have happened to her?!

“Beary!” he called, trying to see through the smoke to find his child. Jewell had said he was behind some crates by the window, but would he have stayed here? Most likely, if he had indeed gotten stuck.

The older bear made his way over to the tall pile of crates underneath the window, but all he found behind them was a blanket covering something. Maybe Jewell had been wrong. He began to turn to look at the other window, when the lower part of the blanket moved.

A sinking feeling in his stomach, Henry ripped the blanket away, startled to find his cub muzzled and tied by the wrists to the wheelchair.

Wasting no time, Henry began to pull on the ropes, hoping they’d just snap, to no avail. Beary’s struggles to loosen them had only made them tighter at the knot. Thankfully, Henry remembered the pocket knife he always carried around, and pulled it out. “You’re going to be okay. Papa’s going to get you out! I promise!” he soothed, using a serrated edge to start cutting through the ties.

As soon as he was through both sets, Beary pushed himself off the wheelchair towards him, not ashamed of the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

“Shh, I got you... Let’s get this damn thing off of you.” Putting the knife away, he unbuckled the harness and threw the muzzle into the flames. “Who did this to you?”

Beary coughed harshly. He didn’t know the man’s name! “B-Ban-Ban...ker!” he hacked, his throat crying in pain from the taste of smoke.

“Banker?” Henry’s eyes narrowed darkly. ‘ _That bastard! When I get ahold of him... He probably started the fire, too!_ ’ He had to remind himself to stop and get Beary to safety before letting his anger get the better of him.

Mindful of his leg, Henry cradled his son in his arms and covered him with a blanket. “Easy, we’ll get out of here, Beary. Just trust me. Do you trust me?”

Beary’s only working ear, however, was pressed up against Henry’s chest, so he didn’t hear him. He could hear his racing heartbeat, though, and could see the flames licking the walls of where he’d just been – if his father hadn’t come when he had, it was very likely he’d been burned alive.

Henry moved away from the burning crates. He knew they had to get off stage; he could hear the snapping of the ropes that held up the lights and other things.

He began to run, trying to see through the smoke and flame that filled the back of the stage, and groaned when he found the tunnel full of smoke and flame. There was no way he’d make it through. He wouldn’t risk his son further. He could feel him shaking as he coughed.

The peppery bear looked out across the building, frowning at all the flames. He’d get burned most likely, but if it meant getting Beary out and to safety, so be it.

He made his way out on stage and walked down the stairs to the main area, glancing back with a heavy heart as he looked at the destruction the fire had already done. There would be no more concerts on that stage.

“Ah, Henry. You did make it back inside. I had wondered if using that little brat as bait would work.”

That voice... He knew that voice. “Reed.” He spat the name out like it was poison. He flicked his ears, listening over the crackle of the flames in an effort to find him.

There was a sharp crack, and white-hot pain blew through his knee, causing him to collapse and drop his son, who rolled a little towards the fire. Henry immediately reached out and pulled him back to him, fighting back the tears of pain as he looked down at his bloodied knee. He couldn’t move it! Reed probably had shot him! Now how was he to get Beary out?

Through the flames, Reed Thimple walked towards the fallen bears while wearing a flame-retardant suit to protect him from the heat and to give him clean air to breathe. He had stored it in one of the crates shortly before starting the fire and had changed into it in the tunnel after having spread bits of flammable liquid around the area just before starting the fire.

Henry fixed him with a hard stare. “You pla-anned this,” he coughed.

“Of course I did. I didn’t get the destruction of the _Hall_ that I wanted. You didn’t really think it was over, did you, Henry? That I would just give up and let the police take me before enacting my revenge?” Reed walked around him, studying the fallen duo with wild eyes.

“You’re psychotic! How can this all stem from the fact that you were beat at a talent show?” Henry asked after checking on Beary and recovering him.

“You think it’s honestly just that? No. It’s because of the Vietnam War. Do you remember Benjamin Boggswaggle? He was assigned to your unit. The only casualty your unit suffered. You saved the rest of your unit and became a hero, but Benjamin Boggswaggle was not saved! You left my father to die and instead saved the rest!”

“What?” Henry blinked a few times, thinking back to the war in which he had been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor. “He had been too badly wounded, Reed! There was nothing anyone could do! You’re willing to injure innocents over something that no one could control?! It was not my fault your father died! He rushed the enemy and got my unit captured! He died because he wanted to be a hero! He almost got all of us killed!”

“That’s a lie! My father never would have done something like that!” Reed shouted, holding the gun out, ready to shoot him again.

“Your father was a fool who threw his life away for nothing. All throughout training he was rude and vulgar. Said how many he wanted to kill. He wasn’t right in the head, and he passed that onto you. I have nothing but pity for you. You allowed your anger at me to spill over and attack the band. Attack innocent children. You need help, Benny! Come with us, and I’ll make sure you’ll get it!”

Reed hesitated, still holding the gun pointed at the bear. Everything in his father’s letters pointed to his hatred of Henry, and that hatred had spilled over into Reed after his death. Was it possible that his father had been at fault for his own death? And now he’d sentenced his own life to it. After everything he’d done, he’d never get help. Even with a plea of insanity, he didn’t want to go to a ward! What would that do to his wife and son? It would ruin them!

He dropped the gun and kicked it away from himself and Henry, and pulled off his gear, tossing it over to the bear. “Put your boy in that. It’ll at least give him some oxygen and protection.”

Henry blinked and watched as the human walked towards the burning staircase up to the balcony, and turned away as he danced in the flames and flung himself off the railing in a way that broke his neck. He found himself hoping that Reed would finally find peace in the afterlife.

He pulled the blanket off of Beary and put him into the large suit, sealing it once he got him inside. At least he’d be protected from being burned, as there was no way Henry would be able to carry him out of the building. Not with his leg the way it was, unable to support any weight.

He looked through the clear facemask at the frightened expression on his son. “It’ll be all right... You’ll get out of this. I know you will. I know you can’t hear me right now, but...” Henry looked around him at the burning building, letting his tears fall as he realized he’d never see Helen again. Would she cry when she realized he’d died? Would she mourn for him? Would this hinder her ability to get better? He knew that deep down, losing him would take its toll on his beloved, but there was nothing more he could do other than protect their son for her.

“Helen, forgive me...” he cried, pulling Beary into his arms and covering him with his body, coughing heavily as the ceiling began to cave in.


	20. Finale - New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The grand finale

_One Year and a Month Later..._

Henry Dixon Taylor limped along the expansive grounds of his home. It was a perfect September day. Not too hot, but not cold, either. The wind blew just right, and the leaves were starting to change their colors.

The fifty-year-old smiled as he looked around, pausing to lean on his cane and catch his breath. So much had happened since the fire that had destroyed the _Hall_.

He and Beary had been found shortly after Thimple had jumped to his death. Henry barely remembered the rescue, as he had been falling into unconsciousness. Apparently he and Beary were both ambulanced to the hospital.

By the time the fire had been put out, much of the _Hall_ was gone. The last concert had been played. The final song sung. The music notes in the rafters floated into the skies, finally free.

His attached cabin had surprisingly survived for the most part, though his office had not. Thankfully, the most important documents had been stored in a fire safe.

While he had been recovering in the hospital, the band had gone through his former home to find anything salvageable and had taken it to a nearby cabin for safe keeping. Many items had been lost, like family pictures, his pet cat [which had been given a memorial – and was later to have been found running around the grounds, as alive as one cat could be], a guitar Helen had given him on their first Christmas together after he’d come home from the war, and Helen’s collection of comic books. Some photos survived, but many were badly burnt. Photo albums had pages melted together from the heat.

Henry was forced into surgery due to his knee injury, and while they’d been able to save his leg, after months of physical therapy, he was told he’d have to walk with a cane the rest of his life because of a bad limp.

Beary simply came away from the fire with bad smoke inhalation and recovered quickly. He was found, however, to have a fear of fire. Pyrophobia. Even seeing a lit candle sent him into an anxiety attack. Also due to what Reed had done to him with the gun, Beary now had to wear a hearing aid in his right ear; doctors said for the rest of his life. Beary had been most embarrassed by this, but had been thankful to be able to hear on both sides of his head once more.

In that time, Helen had also been allowed to come home, and her shock at seeing the state of the _Hall_ had brought everyone to tears when she wasn’t able to properly express herself and simply cried with loud and heavy wails.

Time passed, and the band chose to go on tour to raise money for the rebuilding of _Country Bear Hall_ , and to help pay off medical bills and anything else that might’ve cropped up. They had even taken multiple copies of all their albums to sell – which had thankfully been available to them from a storage room at Henry’s company. So far, they had paid off the materials needed for the rebuild, and were starting on the medical costs, which even Henry’s family was helping out on. Trista and Jacob, Henry and Helen’s older children, had even sent some money to their parents to help with the rebuild of their lives.

Allison Barrington gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Kristina in January, and just a few days later, Tasha had given birth to triplets – Jaxon, Max, and Erin. Méngméng had discovered she was pregnant shortly after the fire and was now the mother to twins, a boy named Nolan and a girl named Sawyer. Zeb had flown back from the tour to be with her when she had given birth.

Fēnglì, Jewell, and Beary had become fast friends and would often play random songs together or just run around the grounds, helping Beary stretch out his leg now that it was fully healed.

A few months back, on Beary’s [and coincidentally, Ted’s] birthday, Trista and Jacob had come for a visit, having not been able to get away beforehand. Helen had been most delighted to see her cubs and to try and catch up through the few words she could manage at that time, but Beary had been very shy at meeting them, as he had no memory of either his brother or sister.

Thankfully, the meeting between siblings had not been completely awkward, and Beary had very much enjoyed getting to know them. He had even introduced them to the Barringtons, and Dex and Jacob had hit it off. At least, they had until Dex’s girlfriend had shown up and he had trotted after her like a lovesick puppy.

The Barringtons had moved to Pendleton in January, just before Kristina’s birth, and while Dex had switched schools to Pendleton School, which had all the grades in one large building since the population was so small; Beary, Jewell, and Fēnglì were there, too. It was there that Dex had met Roxanne Matthews, who he had been shocked to learn was Roadie’s youngest daughter who wanted to finish her last two years of high school living with her father, as she did not get along with her step-father very much. Dex had worked very hard to impress her, and eventually they started dating.

Investigations had been done as to the cause of the fire and the only casualty, and it had been discovered that Reed Thimple had caused the fire before falling to his death. No charges were laid against the band or Henry. The bank cleared his debt – as the money had been burned in the fire – and actually paid him back nearly $15,000 after discovering Reed’s misdeeds and the changing of the contract. Many others who had dealt with Reed had been paid back or their debts completely wiped clean.

Once all debts had been paid, a new president of the bank had been announced, and all comings and goings had gone through a clean slate from then on.

Henry and Helen had reclaimed full custody of their youngest son, though they allowed him to go visit the Barringtons at any time they wanted, which was also one reason why the Barringtons made the decision to move.

Ted had started dating Jade shortly before leaving on tour, and currently things were going strong, but some questioned it.

The Stones had chosen to remain in Nashville, as it was where Tasha and James both worked, and there weren’t the jobs they needed in Pendleton.

The two teenagers the band had met at a diner in Nashville before their run from the cops, Jennifer Paige and Cady Swinburne, had recently released their first album with Taylor Enterprises, and had become a big sensation nationwide. They were preparing for their own first tour to promote their CD _Celaya_ , a mix of country and pop.

“It has been a good year of new beginnings, I think,” Henry spoke to the wind as he began walking again, pausing after a few minutes as the skeleton of the new _Hall_ came into view. He could see his wife tending her roses, what few that survived, while Méngméng relaxed with her three month old twins in the shade, laughing as they played together.

In the tall grass just beyond the _Hall_ , Henry could see Jewell and Fēnglì playing, but where was Beary? A few moments later, and Beary flew out of the grass and tackled both cubs to the ground, and they all ended up in a wrestling match.

Henry smiled brightly as he watched his growing family be near each other. In fact, it was about time that Roadie would be bringing the band back from their tour. A barbeque had been planned for that evening, and his older children would be coming from their hotel in Nashville – as there wasn’t room at the current cabin Helen, Henry, and Beary were staying in.

Eleven-year-old Beary soon spotted him as Henry continued down the path, and came running. “Papa! Papa!” He skidded to a halt before running into him and hugged him tightly. “Mama said you went on a walk! Why didn’t you tell me? I’d go with you!”

Henry chuckled and gave his forehead a lick. “I wanted some time to reflect on my own, kiddo. Plus, I had to plan what we might have at the barbeque tonight. What would you like?”

“Cheddar bacon brats? Can I have four or five? Please?!”

Henry snorted and hugged him against his side as they began walking. “Of course you can, just so long as you don’t make yourself sick. Your mother’s going to have hamburger, potatoes, and carrots for her dinner.”

Beary nodded. “That sounds good, too. Okay, two brats and one of those packets! With ranch!”

Henry snorted and shook his head. “You’ve gotten taller. I swear, you’ve grown two inches!”

“Really?” Beary put a paw on his head, trying to figure this out as he measured himself against his father.

Henry shook his head. “How was school today?”

“Pretty cool, actually.” Beary went on about his favorite subjects – music, literature, and art – and about cooking class with Jewell. He told him that he had gotten a high score on a math test, and had scored not as well on a science one.

“Well then, we’ll just have to work on science, won’t we?” Henry asked.

“Uh-huh. And today in gym we got to have a roller derby! It was great!”

“Roller derby? What do you mean?”

“We all got to put on roller blades and skate around the gym and have races and everything!”

“That sounds... dangerous.” Henry frowned a bit.

“We had crash mats set up and everything. Don’t worry. No one got hurt,” the cub reassured. “And it’s a good thing we have three gyms and three P.E. teachers, one for each section of the school. Elementary, middle, and high school. That way all of us can have our lessons! It’s a big school. I wonder why they didn’t just make three small ones?”

“I don’t know, kiddo, but that’s what they decided to do.” Henry shrugged a bit. “Ah, you go play with your friends. I’m going to greet your mother.”

“Papa? Will... Will Mama be able to communicate better ever again? Or walk right?” His ears flattened and he unconsciously rubbed the crude stitching scar on his right ear.

“Beary, your mother was through an ordeal. Someday she will fully recover, but if that day does not come, we must continue to be patient with her. Her heart is still full of love, and she is the same on the inside as she was all those years ago. She may not be able to form full sentences, and sometimes has trouble with simple tasks, but she is working very hard.” Henry sighed softly, thinking back to what Helen had told him. That she wanted to be a normal mother for their young son. His heart had broken at that moment as he realized that she may never return to the “normal” she was speaking of.

“She is?”

“Mhm. You go and play, all right? Leave the worrying to us adults.”

“Well...” Beary frowned a little, but nodded. “Okay!” He made sure his father could support himself, passed him his hearing aid, and took off, tackling Jewell into the pond as she had been pulling off her clothes to go swimming.

The elder bear smiled and walked towards his wife, taking his time as he sat beside her. “How are you feeling?”

“Gud... No, g-good.” She gave a nod of satisfaction and hummed happily. “Hendri g-good, too?”

Henry leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I am doing good, yes. I enjoyed my walk this afternoon. Perhaps tomorrow you will join me?”

She nodded again, turning to kiss his cheek in response. “You help?” She gestured at the roses she was pruning.

He smiled and simply followed what she was doing, loving every moment he spent with her, never taking it for granted again.

_.~*~._

“So Méngméng’s still going to be working in Nashville with their rescue teams?” Ted asked as he rested his arms out on the back of the bench.

Zeb nodded enthusiastically. “She really loves her work and is good at it. She’s been getting back into shape since the twins were born and-”

“That reminds me... By my calculations, that means you two got back ‘together’ shortly after the fire or before...” Ted raised an eyebrow. “Not even Trixie and Tennessee have one out of the oven yet.”

In the back, Trixie laughed as she put a paw on her belly. “Still baking.”

Tennessee leaned over and gave his wife of six months a kiss. “And soon will go _ding!_ ”

Zeb snorted and looked over at Fred. “And you?”

“Been talking with my ex, but she’s wanting to keep the cubs to herself. Gonna go visit them soon, though,” the bigger bear stated. “Ted, what about your girl? Things still going good or have they fizzled out?”

“Nah, things are going great, as far as I’m aware, though I’m sure she’s not happy about me leaving her for the tour as suddenly as I did. But, the Taylors needed the money, and we did owe them. After all, we’re the ones that beat that banker in the talent show and started all this.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“But at least now things are paid off and we can even afford to build them a proper home! Fred, you’ve been working on the blueprints, right?” Zeb asked, looking over at his friend.

“Mhm. One and a half stories with five bedrooms. A lot like the one they had attached to the _Hall_ , only bigger,” the brown bear responded. “And they wanted a big room for Beary so he can have his art room in there, too. They want him to be able to use his materials and what talent he has. So what I have is two bedrooms on the top floor, and three on the bottom. Should be plenty for if Jacob, Trista, and their families want to come visit.”

“Good,” Ted nodded. “Hey, Roadie, we almost there?”

“Why don’t you glance out your windows?” the human called back as he turned onto the road leading to where he parked the bus. He was happy to be home and to relax for a bit before helping with the rebuild of the _Hall_.

Zeb’s eyes lit up immediately at the thought of being home with his wife and children, watching his cubs grow under their watchful gaze.

Trixie and Tennessee, too, were very delighted at finally being home with their daughter, whom they had decided to leave behind for her schooling and so she could keep Beary and Fēnglì company.

Fred and Ted were excited to being back – one for his girlfriend and the other for the food being served that night.

As soon as the bus parked, the band rushed out as orderly as possibly.

Zeb went straight for his wife, pulling her for a deep kiss, and went to his eldest son once finished to give him a hug, and then plopped down to play with his twins, who eyed him thoughtfully before deciding he was their new playmate.

Fred went to go prepare the large meal in the repaired kitchen of the _Hall_ – the only part of it that they had so far fixed – by saucing the ribs and preparing individual meals.

Ted went to look at the structure of the Hall to check for any damage or plan new ideas. Since they had taken out the cabin portion from the plans, they had left Henry’s office and added a second exit out the side of the building so they didn’t run into the same problem as they had with the large crowd the night of the fire. They had also added a small gift shop directly behind Henry’s office.

Tennessee and Trixie went to greet their daughter and tell her the happy news about the newest addition to their small family, which she had gleefully accepted and cheered about.

Beary sat back, watching all the goings on, feeling at peace for the first time in a long time. Here was his big family, almost all gathered together, in the same area. He couldn’t have been happier, especially after a series of cars pulled up next to the bus, bringing the rest of his extended family home.

Despite everything that had happened, the ups and the downs, the hostage situation and the fire, Beary knew that this was where he belonged, with all of them. With his four siblings – two humans, two bears – his two sets of parents, his best friend Jewell and new friend Fēnglì, with Jade and the Stones, and Big Al, Roadie, and Roxi, and with a band called _The Country Bears_.

He was home.

 

 

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! There are two more stories [one is still in progress] in this trilogy, so stay tuned! The sequel will be up soon!


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